Rosemarie was born into a family of entrepreneurs in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
She is also the granddaughter several times removed of the first President of Liberia, JJ Roberts.
Educated at the country’s prestigious St. Joseph’s Convent secondary school for girls, she showed an early talent for art and in 1963 travelled to the UK to study the subject, first at Sir John Cass School of Art in London, where she was tutored by DAVID GRAHAM, and then the North West College of Art where she majored in textile design. She completed her studies at The Ruskin School of Fine Art, University of Oxford.
Known for her colorful paintings of everyday, stunning portraiture and bold abstracts, her muses ranged from the Nigerian sculptor BEN ENWONWU to European modernists PAUL CEZANNE and WALTER SICKERT. Early solo shows at Balliol College, Oxford, and the Sierra Leone High Commission in London confirmed her talent.
On her return to Sierra Leone, Rosemarie became head of art at her alma mater, having also gained a teaching qualification in the UK, before being appointed head of arts education by the SIAKA STEVENS government in Sierra Leone.
As a public servant, she raised the profile of the country’s art and culture both domestically and internationally, incorporating little celebrated indigenous arts, craft and performance into her remit. She also helped pioneer the use of homegrown children’s literature in schools.
During this period, Rosemarie’s acrylics and water colours began to sell internationally following a series of solo exhibitions, including one as a visiting artist continued to exhibit at home and abroad, including a stint at the University of Xiamen, China in 1988.
In 1997, following an escalation in the Sierra Leone civil war, she was forced to flee to the UK. She left much of her work behind her.
As she rebuilt her life in London, the themes of flight and exile lend an added dimension to her art, and also her poetry.
Still based in the UK, she has been a teacher and workshop facilitator. She continues to exhibit. She has also loaned her works to the Museum of London, Docklands for a previous themed exhibit.
She says of her work: “I have never smoked but when I paint, I think it is like having a good smoke – it’s so enjoyable. It is not just my profession, it is a way of life”.