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Winchester Highlands resident Rose Walsh-Cooke knows her way around, having lived on two other continents before settling down in Winchester 23 years ago.
“I loved that Winchester has a great town center, library and coffee shops, plus easy access to the cinema,” she says.
Walsh-Cooke was born and raised in England and worked for an engineering company in Australia before moving to Cambridge.
Rose Walsh-Cooke loves painting New England scenes. COURTESY PHOTOS/ROSE WALSH-COOKE
“Work colleagues had bought homes in Winchester,” she says, “and even though we had no kids then, we now have two, and the school system is great.
“I did A-levels in art, although I didn’t study art in college — but it was always a hobby. When we moved to the area, I was looking for something to do when my husband Mark went cycling and my daughter was in day care. I took an oil painting class in Lexington,” she says.
And she was hooked.
Walsh-Cooke’s subject matter is New England scenes, and she also creates greeting cards from her art.
“When a painting gets sold,” she says, “it’s hard to let it go, but if you have a card, it lives on.”
Three paintings at Galaray House. COURTESY PHOTOS/ROSE WALSH-COOKE
And although she has a studio at Lex-Art, she does a lot of her paintings at her dining room table.
“I don’t usually exhibit,” she adds, although she does participate in library exhibits, including in Winchester and Lexington, and in a juried show in Concord.
Not a fan of plein air painting, Walsh-Cooke says, “It’s difficult with oils and it get messy when it’s windy, but I’ve painted at Wright-Locke Farm.
You can see Rose Walsh-Cooke’s work in local galleries. COURTESY PHOTOS/ROSE WALSH-COOKE
Her busy schedule leaves little time for her art.
“I work part time at Playtime in Arlington Center and I paint for only about two hours a day,” she says.
Nor does she take commission.
“It stresses me out,” she adds.
Her work can be seen at many area galleries, and she sold a piece through Gallery Twist in Lexington. At the moment, she has several pieces in Lexington’s.
“Galleries legitimize you,” she points out.
Her favorite artist is John Singer Sargent, “because of his brushstrokes and use of light. I paint in the impressionist style. A lot of artists worry about style, but for me, it’s like handwriting—it just comes out that way.”
Winchester resident Joyce Westner is one of the founders of Winchester News. She holds a degree in English and journalism from Northeastern University. If you have a suggestion for either a Meet the Artist or Helpers Among Us resident, email editor@winchesternews.org.
