About me
![oil painting by Dawn Rodger](https://primary.jwwb.nl/public/p/d/g/temp-zcqnfleltdvyufvkrtfe/az8ohz/whales_and_wanderers_by_dawn_rodger_easel_right.jpg?enable-io=true&enable=upscale&crop=1201%2C1527%2Cx0%2Cy37%2Csafe&width=316&height=402)
![](https://primary.jwwb.nl/public/p/d/g/temp-zcqnfleltdvyufvkrtfe/20180716_102034008_ios-high.jpg?enable-io=true&enable=upscale&crop=1201%2C1113%2Cx0%2Cy244%2Csafe&width=316&height=293)
I was born and raised in West London, where my artistic tendencies were nurtured and encouraged by my school teachers. When I was fifteen, my family and I moved to Western Australia, where the new environment further developed my passion for colour and light. After four years, I returned to London, finished university and started a family. To make a living, I worked in the car rental industry and art took a back seat to become an enjoyable distraction from the stresses of daily life.
Several years ago, I was suddenly taken ill with encephalitis (a brain inflammation) which left me unable to breathe on my own and with very little coordination. With time, I slowly relearned how to do essential things, such as breathing, talking, eating and writing. Walking is still an ongoing project. As a result, my need to create art has been a soothing balm to reality as well as a way to improve my dexterity.
We now live in North Devon, which offers plenty of inspiration with its spectacular skies and coastal waters. Oil paint is the medium I love most, although pastels and watercolour inks also fill me with joy. I appreciate the slow drying time of oil paints, as it gives me more time to experiment with different textures. To create depth and luminosity, I often use metal leaf and layered glazes of paint. These techniques make my paintings interesting up close as well as from a distance, although this can be hard to replicate in photographs.
Thank you for your interest,
Dawn
Education
London Art College 2020-2022
Open College of Art - Painting 1 2009
BSc Psychology & Sociology, Brunel University London 1993-1997
Paint Club, Brunel University London 1994-1996
BA Visual Studies, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia 1992-1993
Full member WHOBIDS - Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society 2022-present
Exhibitions
Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society Open Exhibition,
The Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford, Devon (August-October 2024)
ArtMakers TURNER NOW exhibition,
Art Upstairs Gallery, Bideford, Devon (July-September 2024)
Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society Centennial exhibition,
The Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford, Devon (July-August 2022)
Twitter Art Exhibit #tae22, The Hiscox Building, York, Yorkshire (June 2022)
Westward Ho! & Bideford Art Society Annual Exhibition,
The Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford, Devon (June 2020)
RNLI Exhibition, North Devon Yacht Club, Instow, Devon (October 2019)
7th Affordable S.art Sale Exhibition
All Saints Studios, St Albans, Hertfordshire (July 2017)
6th Affordable S.art Sale Exhibition
All Saints Studios, St Albans, Hertfordshire (April 2017)
Mural - White Knight Services, Slough, Berkshire (1996)
York Art Society Exhibition, York, Western Australia (1992)
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![](https://primary.jwwb.nl/public/p/d/g/temp-zcqnfleltdvyufvkrtfe/1kjgvk/the_almanac_of_the_stars_by_dawn_rodger_varnished.jpg?enable-io=true&enable=upscale&crop=1200%2C1215%2Cx0%2Cy193%2Csafe&width=414&height=419)