BIO

Roslyn Ramsay is a Canadian visual artist who creates visually compelling and emotionally engaging artwork from her studio in Kitchener, Ontario. She investigates the relationship between water, light, motion and spontaneous abstract imagery in her painted landscapes and figurative works with recent exploration of mixed media techniques in acrylic paint and patterned fabric on canvas. 

She travelled with family throughout North America and experienced oil painting at an early age. Raising her family and living on the northern shores of Lake Nipissing, Ontario and Lake Kipawa, Quebec permeated every aspect of her life and her observations of the lake’s seasonal changes became a passion that still influences her art. Her early focus on pastel and charcoal portraiture led to commissioned work, teaching opportunities and an appreciation of the human form. 

Roslyn found mentorship and inspiration, under established artists and in formal studies in Graphic Design, photography, painting, intaglio and silkscreen printmaking.

She draws inspiration from the rhythms of nature and ideas of interconnectedness found in quantum science to explore perceptions and unseen possibilities. Her intuitive and experimental approach in the studio, develops organically from her own photography.

Ramsay received solo exhibition assistance grants from the Ontario Arts Council and actively supports the arts community through exhibitions with local artist collectives and virtual online venues. Artworks have been featured in the short film, “Our Greenbelt: Reflections on Water”, Waterloo Region and on the NPQ magazine cover in Boston. 

Her work is held in numerous private and  corporate collections throughout Canada, US, & Britain reflecting a broad appreciation for her exploration of nature and shared human connections.

Artist Statement

Water and Light are central to my art. My watercolour and acrylic paintings reflect my connection to nature, the human form and our coexisting relationships with the environment.

Water's temporal nature and qualities of reflection and translucency have inspired my interest in the mysteries of fluctuating patterns and light. My lifelong fascination stems from the complexities created when water distorts and refracts light, allowing me to explore the shift in our perceptions.

My approach is intuitive and experimental, involving brushwork, palette knives and other mark making tools and I develop my compositions by sometimes incorporating  my own  photography. I recreate the imagery and linear trace elements in acrylic, or watercolour on canvas and more recently in mixed media experimenting with patterned fabric as another visual texture. 

The concept that everything is connected in quantum entanglement, influences my art, suggesting possibilities beyond what we immediately see.