Rosena Finister

Born 1944, Sicily Island, Louisiana
Has practiced at Creative Growth since 2007

Rosena Finister makes work that is largely influenced by memories of her life growing up on a farm in Louisiana. A master storyteller, her vignettes depict daily activities, illustrated with rich interactions that often include speech bubbles to bring the narrative to life. Much of her work transposes human social commentary onto animal subjects. Both humorous and cutting, her anthropomorphized characters play out the harmonious and contentious dynamics of family, romance, and community. With an aesthetic nod to Southern folk art, Finister’s paintings are deeply rooted in personal history and African American culture.

Rosena Finister hace un trabajo que está influenciado en gran medida por los recuerdos de su vida mientras crecía en una granja en Louisiana. Una narradora maestra, sus viñetas representan actividades cotidianas, ilustradas con ricas interacciones que a menudo incluyen globos de diálogo para dar vida a la narración. Gran parte de su trabajo transpone comentarios sociales humanos a temas animales. Tanto humorísticos como mordaces, sus personajes antropomorfizados representan la dinámica armoniosa y contenciosa de la familia, el romance y la comunidad. Con un guiño estético al arte folklore sureño, las pinturas de Finister están profundamente arraigadas en la historia personal y la cultura afroamericana.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2021
Outsider Art Fair, New York

2020
Inter-Avant-Garde, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln

2019
Outsider Art Fair New York
The Creative Commons, ArtYard, Frenchtown