Rosie’s Bio
ROSIE BARKUS – BIOGRAPHY
Moilang Rosilind Annie Barkus (nee Ware), known as Rosie, is an established self taught Textile Designer& Printer based on Thursday Island.
Her mother Sorbie (nee Oth) originated from Murray Island (Mer) in the Eastern Group of Islands, and her father, Elia Ware Snr. Came from St. Paul’s Village (Wag) on Moa Island, with roots to Mabuiag Island (Besi) in the near Western Island Group in the Torre Strait.
She was born on Thursday Island in 1959 and when she was only 6 months old her father took her and her siblings to Cairns by boat, called the ‘Marie Posa’. Sailing down the East Coast of Queensland, the boat anchored at Holloways Beach, north of Cairns, this was where she was raised until the family moved back to Thursday Island and St. Pauls, Moa Island in the Torres Strait, in the late 70’s, early 80’s.
An individual artist, she began hand-printing fabrics as a hobby in 1986. Her main medium is Lino-Block. The procedure is very time consuming, but over the years she has perfected her own unique style in repetitive motif printing. She trades under her new business name called Rosie Barkus Designs (ex Kapu Kreations-Torres Strait).
She designs and handprints on quality fabrics as well as handcrafts pearl shell jewellery, local seed and shell jewellery, and when she has extra time, paints on canvas, all out of her art studio on Green Hill, overlooking the Thursday Island Harbour and surrounding near islands.
Rosie’s first business venture started in 1986, when her father wanted to retire back at St. Paul’s, Moa Island. She agreed to help him out in purchasing his secondhand clothing store, called ‘Ware’s Discount Clothing Store’ located downtown Thursday Island. She borrowed a small business loan from the National Australia Bank and purchased the Store. She changed the name to ‘Rosie’s Shop’. It was small and successful but very demanding as she was raising two little girls. Rosie catered for the islanders with an island style displays, but, her main market was the government workers, itinerants and tourists who were looking to buy genuine locally made Torres Strait artifacts/handcrafts and souvenirs to take back home to mainland Australia and abroad. She catered for the first group of tourists to come to Thursday Island from Seisia, Cape York. The rest is history…
Rosie has been printing professionally since 1996, participating in many mainstream and indigenous group art exhibitions throughout Australia and Overseas. She’s inspired by her strong cultural heritage, the maritime history of the Torres Strait and the beautiful islands and marine environment that surrounds her, swimming in the sea, fishing and cooking up fresh seafood, beachcombing and gardening.
One of the highlights in her art career was to win a prestigious mainstream National Award call the ‘2001 Jaguar New Australian Designers of the Future’, in association with the up market Belle Magazine, Sydney and Jaguar Australia. She was honored in being the finalist and winner in the Textile and Fabric category.
Jaguar Australia created the award with eight categories highlighting the importance of good design and the exceptional caliber of Australian design by recognizing outstanding young Australian Designers. Rosie was one of them.
Another was when her ‘Sugu’ design (meaning octopus) was featured on an Australia Post self-stamped envelope as part of the Torres Strait Collection of art and artifacts in 2001-03.
And the last two highlights was in 2007 she travelled with a group of Australian women to Shanghai, China to discover the old China Silk Route tour and in March 2008 Rosie was invited to travel with another group of Australian & Aboriginal women to Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to participate in an art exhibition from Indigenous Australians, children with special needs and artists from the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the USA. She met His Royal Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales.
The Australian Ambassador, the Australian Trade & Investment Commissioner, and VIPs.
Rosie’s encouragement to young emerging artist, is the importance of ’ Getting a good education first to secure a Trade, have a day job and practice your art after hours and weekends, and then make a decision to practice full time, because it will be tough, and most times it does not give you a regular income to pay for the bills, unless you are working in art administration. You will need the day job to support yourself.
In saying that, never give up on your passion, follow your dreams, as you never know where it will take you, and remember always to keep healthy, positive and keep smiling’.
Visit Rosie on the “Our Women, Our State” website