"I draw what I feel and paint what I draw", Rose Wylie, 2012. Rose Wylie's work is testament to the staying power of the artistic pursuit, writes Cathryn Kemp. For 30 years Wylie has worked on her large-scale paintings in her cottage in Kent without too much of the attention and media hype usually associated with painters of her pedigree. Her wait for her rightful share of that attention may have been long - but it is clear that her time has come as her works have been chosen for the inaugural exhibition in the temporary 'receiving' space at the new Jerwood Gallery in Hastings, Sussex. "I am delighted to be showing in Hastings" said Rose Wylie, " I do have a long association with Jerwood (Wylie was shortlisted for the Jerwood Painting Prize in 1997, and was in Drawing Prize shows in 2000 and 2003.) and I like finding connections between my work and the space, which is extraordinary and has been built so well." The show itself is the first UK retrospective of Wylie's work, and is entitled ' big boys sit in the front' - a direct quote from a poem by Robert Creeley about how childhood can feel. Wylie's works are large. They span the length and breadth of the white-walled, industrial-looking gallery space with effortless measure. Along one wall several pieces have been co-joined in raw homage to the Bayeux Tapestry. On another wall there are four paintings hung together to make a large square 'Getting Better With Water' - her works collaged together as they should be, in direct mimicry of her process and methods. The collaged feel is akin to child's play, as is the simplicity of Wylie's drawing and mark-making yet there is sophistication here. Among the many references to memory, the language of film, folk art and cross-cultural influences there is a subtle intelligence charting narratives which run like threads through her work. One feels when looking at the pieces that a journey is being undertaken, both into the artist's mind and into her past. The physical act of creating these paintings is a key part of the process. Wylie starts with raw canvas, cuts out canvas pieces to lay in top, cuts and collages these amid layers of thick, gluey paint. And yet there is a fragility within the works. Wylie herself is as small as a bird, with her floral-printed skirt and over-large trainers which are her trademark look. At the back of her hair is a small bunchee - a link to her child self within perhaps, the child-like quality which speaks so truly of memory and experience, and translating that into the works which fill the space in such concrete ways. Wylie said: "I have many influences in my work. I love looking at Manga, the Japanese cartoons, they are so interesting. I also love the Bayeux Tapestry and so I'm really pleased with the way they hung some of the paintings in a row going round the corner at the end of the gallery space. "It's just really good to be here."
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