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I met Rosemary Ollison’s work on Facebook. I had never experienced such a feast of leather artistry. Ollison’s jewelry was vibrant, dimensional, and a celebration of leather I could not stop devouring. I asked if I could feature her work in Garden Spices and after browsing her site, I discovered there is so much more to celebrate with Ollison; she paints, sculpts, indeed, she is a fiber artist, fashion designer, poet, and most of all, she is a visionary.
Suffering abuse during an early marriage, Olison’s vision emancipated her through Psalm 139: 23-24 23. Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Ollison took the verses literally and started to paint. “My art is the answer to my prayers.” Age 76, Ollison said she “took responsibility for her life at 41. Since then she has created a wealth of artistic treasure.
According to Portrait Society Gallery, Rosemary Ollison “has exhibited work at the 2017 and 2018 Outsider Art Fair, New York; UWM Union Gallery, Milwaukee; Indianapolis Public Library; Walker’s Point Center for the Arts; Uihlein Peters Gallery; Cissy Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee; and Alphons Gallery. Her work is included in the collections of the Chipstone Foundation and the Milwaukee Art Museum. She is represented by Portrait Society Gallery.”
Thank you, Rosemary Ollison, for sharing your vision and your art. – Victorine
In the words of Rosemary Ollison:
“I have no professional training in art. My ability to create is a gift from God. My journey to enlightenment had its beginning in 1984. After ten years of keeping a daily journal of my “Constant Communicational Arrangement” with God, he directed me to draw and paint illustrations that would give me a better understanding of the words he recorded in my mind and heart.”
“My kind (my fellow humans) might look at my works and assume that I am an artist. The truth is my art, writing and poetry are answers to my prayers from GOD! I come before GOD unashamed and nakedly exposed. I asked HIM what does he want me to do and HE tells me what HE wants me to do and I do it! Absolutely ALL I create is a dialogue and a special dialect between GOD and me.”
Sculpture
Quilt
“I am a 76 year young retired educator of “special” children for eighteen years. I have no professional training in art. My ability to create is a gift from God. My journey to enlightenment had its beginning in 1984. After ten years of keeping a daily journal of my “Constant Communicational Arrangement” with God, he directed me to draw and paint illustrations that would give me a better understanding of the words he recorded in my mind and heart. My works mirror the years of anguish I experienced because of enduring years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse as well as my continuing journey to enlightenment.”
“I WANT TO BE FREE PLEASE LET ME GO”
“My present works reflect only the joy, delight, fulfillment and pleasure I experience in living.”–Rosemary Ollison
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN MY CREATIONS CONTACT
Debra Brehmer PORTRAIT SOCIETY GALLERY located in Milwaukee’s Third Ward at 207 E. Buffalo St. on the fifth floor of the Marshall Building, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Gallery hours are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays noon to 5pm and by appointment. Contact 414.870.9930 for information.
Rosemary Ollison’s website: http://www.gobeyondreligion.com/theartistspeak.htm
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
-Victorine