A Nomadic Rose: The Story So Far...

The Story So Far

Welcome to A Nomadic Rose. Thank you for being here reading this, it’s a thrill and an honour. I wanted to start by telling you the story of how I got here. I am an artist whose work currently engages with the climate crisis, rewilding, and our relationship with nature. I am an avid foodie and love to knit. I make books. I hike, I swim. I love watching tennis. I am never far from my camera and my notebook. My sister, the novelist Kim Sherwood, recently summed up my life in a string of emojis: 🚶‍♀️ 🥾 📷 ⛰ 🌊 🏊‍♀️ 📓 🚌 🍞 🍪 🧶 🎾 👩‍💻.

Early in 2020 I was in London settling into a six-month Fellowship at the Chelsea College of Art Foundry. Then Covid-19 came, and the college closed its doors. Realising lockdown was immanent I boarded a train from Paddington Station loaded down with fears and suitcases. I felt like I was fleeing from something, running from the danger posed by the densely populated city to the relative safety of my Mums house in Devon.

It was the right choice.

Nothing about lockdown and the pandemic has been easy, my work froze, my creativity suffered, my life turned upside down. But the woods and coast on the doorstep eased these challenges. In this moment of enforced stillness I was able to take time to reflect, to plan, and to have a single life-changing idea: to buy and convert a panel van into my dream home.

This seemingly simply idea, had by many before me, opens a new world of possibilities. I love this planet and the only thing I remember wanting to do when I grew up was to travel it. A tiny home on wheels will allow me to do this, to explore, to learn, and to make art.

My van arrived a few weeks ago. It is sitting outside my Mums new house in Cornwall. Last weekend I busted out the masking tape to test my floor plan ideas on the actual floor. The conversion has begun. It’s going to be hard work and it’s going to be fun!

As so often in life when one thing starts moving in the right direction, the rest follows. After starting work on my van I was thrilled to be offered the position of Blue Carbon Artist in Residence. The role is a dream one. I am working with people and organisations across Plymouth City including the city council, Plymouth University and the Ocean Conservation Trust, to create an immersive seagrass installation at the National Marine Aquarium. Opening in the summer of 2022, alongside satellite exhibitions across the city, it will raise awareness of seagrass and its role in fighting the climate crisis.

I am slowly finding my feet again, stepping back into my life, like so many others around the world. I decided I want to share this journey, not only the adventure of converting the van, but also my life as an artist, my efforts towards sustainable living, my travel adventures. I have chosen substack rather than a blog as it feels like a more intimate format for sharing the journey of my life. I hope you will chose to join me.

What Paid subscription gets you:

Subscribe today and start receiving short weekly essays filled with stories and photographs from my van conversion, my artistic process and life as an artist, and my travels, and more. Join in the conversation through comments and likes.

Plus everything free subscribers get.

What Free subscription gets you:

The Monthly Dispatch, in which I look back over the month and share stories and thoughts that stood out. A glimpse into my van build, my art, and a monthly recipe. You will also receive a weekly photograph from my archives, along with a few words about the image.

What your subscription gives me:

£4.00 a month isn’t much, but it goes a surprisingly long way. Think of it as a contribution to weekly groceries, a roll of camera film, or the next few miles down the road.

For more about my art:

To find out more about my art visit my website: www.rosiesherwood.com