About Rosemary Machado

A native of California's Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area resident Rosemary Machado is a mixed-media artist and maker of hand-crafted jewelry. Machado wanted to be an artist for as long as she can remember and began painting in acrylics at the age of 10 and oils at the age of 11. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art (Painting) from the University of California, Santa Cruz and also took classes in painting and drawing from California artist Everett Jensen.

Machado's artwork has been described as "nature in mixed media" and "surrealistic meditations on nature." Her paintings consists primarily of mixed media shadow boxes, mixed media and oil on canvas, and mixed media and watercolor on paper. Redwoods, oaks, willows, and other trees are depicted in various settings: at dusk, at the height of autumn, alongside sections of topographic maps. She uses recycled fabric and glass, as well as natural found objects to create a variety of textures that gives each work a unique, captivating quality.

Her most recent work is focused on shadow boxes: microcosmic worlds fashioned from watercolor, pen and ink, vintage marbles, found objects, crocheted wire, beach glass, and preserved leaves. Machado's works are striking and unusual and reveal something new each time one looks at them.

Artist Statement

A painting usually begins with one central theme: how the moon set the night before or how the light looked through the clouds that morning. Often it's just a feeling, mood, or atmosphere left over from a dream I've just had.

When I face the bare canvas with these "almost" ideas, a conversation begins—free association that ends when the painting is done. I rarely plan paintings. I don't sketch out what I want to do. If I draw something, the idea ends with the drawing.

Essentially, I want to create paintings that invite the viewer to enter and linger; paintings that provide a place for the eye to rest, a refuge apart from the day-to-day rush; paintings that let the viewer experience something new with each encounter; paintings that are beautiful without being merely pretty.

Affiliations

• Current: Art Guild of Pacifica (AGP)
• Past: ArtSalon of San Francisco (ArtSalonSF)

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art (Painting), University of California, Santa Cruz
• Classes in painting and drawing with Everett Jensen, Santa Maria, California

Awards

• Award of Merit, 47th Annual Art Guild of Pacifica Exhibition, 2005

Media Coverage

• "The rich blues and earth tones of two of her works, 'Dreaming Earth' and 'Memory of a Dream' seductively invite the viewer to step into her special view of nature surrounding us. 'I invite people to see what I see,' she says. Machado described being captivated by the sounds, sights and textures of the tall redwood trees which provided a rich canopy over her head as she walked to and from art classes as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz." (From "Linda Mar Artist Explores Nature's Meditative mysteries" by Tom Sullivan, Pacifica Tribune, May 21, 2008)
• "Curator Bill Gallo guided me through the gallery, and we were both struck by the richness and diversity of the exhibit. His job was easy because of the exceptional quality of the art. Any of the intricate composites by Rosemary Machado are exemplary. 'Dreaming Earth' catches your attention and imagination with its built up and cut through surface. Playing with the boundaries of the traditional rectangular canvas, delicate leaves are built up outside the canvas while an exquisite dream catcher of sorts is cut right through." (From "Sanchez Art Center's West Wing Gallery Strikes It Rich" by Amy Owens, Pacifica Tribune, August 13, 2003)