Elemental Images |
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I have made figures all my life, as a child I used pipe cleaners and felt, in my teens I experimented with wire, paper and rubber solution before settling on a polyfiller mixture and fabric. I made dozens of small people with modelled faces and hands and intricately sewn costumes. After 3 years training in theatre design at Croydon Art School from 1961-64 I left without qualifications and worked for the theatre designing and making costumes. The first exhibition of my work was in 1968 at Leatherhead Theatre where I was wardrobe mistress. In 1974 seeking a break from new motherhood I attended a pottery class and discovered porcelain. With the proceeds of my second exhibition in a shop Newcastle Upon Tyne I bought a small kiln, and henceforth worked in ceramics and textiles. In 1976, now a single parent with a small son to support, I began selling my work professionally (using my former name Julia Hills). Helped by grants from Northern Arts and later the Crafts Council I exhibited and sold my work internationally, and also ran doll making workshops. Since 1978 I have been on the Crafts Council selected list of makers. I have work in a number of public collections from that time. In 1983 I changed my name to Rosa Davis and the following year began
training as a counsellor. From 1987-2000 I worked as a counsellor, supervisor
and trainer, continuing to make images in my spare time. In the 90s I
visited India several times to run counselling courses and the culture
and craft of India became an abiding influence on my creative work. I live in Stroud Gloucestershire, UK, where I run a weekly mixed media class. |