Rose Wylie

A recent trip to London included a visit to see work by Rose Wylie at the Royal College of Art.

I have long admired artists who continue to follow their own path regardless of trends, expectations or convention, and few seem to embody that spirit more than Rose Wylie.

The paintings are large, playful and unapologetically direct. Images, words, memories and observations sit together in ways that feel instinctive rather than prescribed. There is humour throughout, but also confidence. The confidence to trust an idea, follow a thought and allow a painting to become whatever it needs to become.

As an artist, I am often drawn to people who exist slightly outside the narrative. Artists who remain independent in their thinking. Artists who are prepared to take risks, trust their instincts and make work on their own terms. There is a rebelliousness in Wylie's paintings that I love. Not a loud rebellion, but a quiet refusal to conform.

The exhibition also felt like a reminder that creativity has no expiry date. In a culture often obsessed with youth and the next new thing, there was something powerful about seeing work made with such humour and vitality by someone who has spent decades refining her voice.

I left the exhibition smiling.