Illustration

Rose illustrates for poetry, non-fiction and archaeological publications.

POETRY ILLUSTRATION

Rose has been an illustrator for the award winning Guillemot Press since its creation in 2016. She also illustrates and designs poetry books with Luke Thompson.

‘The Sleeping Place’ by Susie Campbell (2023) Guillemot Press

‘The Sleeping Place’ is a poem that assembles and re-assembles the archaeological narratives of graves in a Saxon cemetery.

Rose used painted collage to create an ‘archaeological plan’ of the Saxon burial ground, drawing in the rhythms and repetitions of the poem, as well as the textures of earth and chalk.

Rose and Susie talked about the work at a launch at Blackwells in Oxford, with poets Nancy Campbell and Ruth Wiggins.

‘PEAT’ edited by Melanie Giles (2022)

An anthology of poetry exploring the past, present and future of peat and peatlands. Poets include Madeleine Ando, James Caruth, Liz Ellis, Abigail Flint, Melanie Giles, Rebecca Hurst, John McAuliffe, Richard Skelton, Jos Smith, Emily Topliss, Christine Roseeta Walker and John Wedgwood Clarke.

Rose created the illustrations from two painted collages, drawing on the idea of peat as an archive of human and environmental narratives. The book was designed by Rose and Luke Thompson.

‘Under the Wave’ by John Torrance (2021) Fore Street Press

The final collection of poetry by John Torrance, tracing a path through different phases of his life. The book is alive with John’s sharp observation and great humanity.

Rose illustrated the cover and designed the book with Luke Thompson. The illustrations inside were created by Polly Farquharson, Alexine Goode and Cory Lyons.

It’s available from Fore Street Press.

‘Sea Change’ by Phoebe Power and Katrina Porteous (2021) Guillemot Press

The poetry for ‘Sea Change’ was created by Phoebe and Katrina as part of a residency for the National Trust’s ‘People’s Coast’. It explores the environmental and cultural transformations on the Durham Coast.

Rose created the illustrations using painted collage, to echo the sense of accumulated layers and tangled narratives found in that landscape.

Featured on Open Country on BBC Radio 4 in July 2021

‘Vestiges’ edited by Melanie Giles (2021)

‘Vestiges’ is an anthology of poetry exploring the past and present landscapes of the Peak District. It features poets James Caruth, Abigail Flint, Melanie Giles, Vona Groake, Rebecca Hurst, John McAuliffe, Richard Skelton, Christine Roseeta Walker and John Wedgwood Clarke.

Rose illustrated the book using two collages she made for the project. The book was designed by Rose and Luke Thompson.

‘Tenter’ by Susie Campbell (2020) Guillemot Press

Tenter‘ explores the woven narratives of the Bayeux Tapestry as a way of writing into ideas of war, memory and the ethics of our responses to conflict.

Rose created the illustrations using monoprint, echoing the imagery of threads and ghostings found in the poetry.

A review can be found on Sabotage Reviews, and you can read about the making of the book in the Guillemot Press Journal. Watch Rose talking about the illustration of Tenter here

‘The Tender Map’ by Melanie Challenger (2016) Guillemot Press

‘The Tender Map’ is an exploration of the cartography of the British Isles and of the poets personal journeys. Melanie Challenger is a Forward shortlisted and Eric Gregory Award Winner, researching and writing on environmental history.

Rose used wax and watercolour resist to create the illustrations, which won the 2017 Michael Marks Poetry Illustration Award.

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POETRY AND ART WORKSHOPS

Rose has run poetry and illustration workshops with Holly Corfield Carr (Bodmin Poetry Festival and the Poetry Society), Jen Hadfield (Guillemot Press) and Melanie Giles (Vestiges). 

PROSE AND CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Rose’s interest in landscape and environment have led to collaborations with writers on themes of environmental change. This includes ‘Ghost Maps and Phantom Islands’ (forthcoming) with Dr Ben Smith (author of ‘Doggerland’); ‘Warp-land’ with Dr Jos Smith; and ‘Tree Tales’ with Dr Jos Smith and Dr Luke Thompson. 

ARCHAEOLOGY

Since her MFA Rose has been interested in how authorial illustration can be used to tell imaginative narratives about the processes of archaeological work, and the discoveries and stories that are revealed. Past projects include the Cramond Lioness (Scotland), and a series of prints based on aerial photography and geophysics. She is now developing this work to experiment more broadly with how visual art and creative practice can be used in museums and at heritage sites.

She also works as a technical illustrator for archaeological projects, creating maps, plans, interpretations of geophysical surveys and reconstructions.