We were lucky to catch up with Rose Rambo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rose, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Well, I always wanted to be an artist, so I learned and taught myself all throughout my childhood, but becoming a Gem Artist specifically? I taught myself, through learning everything I could about my subject matter and the relevant things that I thought would help me show what I wanted through my chosen medium. Which was more than I started out thinking. I studied gemstones and light, and the interaction between light, and prisms, reflection and refraction and all the ‘WHY’ behind everything. For me figuring out the ‘how’ of something starts with the ‘why’, ive always been that way.

Looking backwards I don’t think there would be a way to speed it all up, I researched and studied every free moment, I practiced and practiced more.
The skills that I could possibly pinpoint as essential, really aren’t skills, its a mindset, and it has two parts to it; the first is to find a way to be completely ok, even grateful for failure. Because if you aren’t failing at it, then you aren’t trying. Accept that failure is simply built into the steps of what it is to learn something new, and be grateful for it because every failure is still experience that you learn from. The second part of the mindset is honestly stubbornness, absolute downright refusal to give up, when no one else encourages you, when you are down on yourself, when you have failed for the hundred and third time, walk away and take a break. But never give up.
As for obstacles, the only one that has ever really been in my way to learning more, is me. I am my own worst enemy and can make excuses upon excuses, but if you can learn to get out of your own way, there is nothing that you cannot do.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always been in art, as a kid some of my favorite things were pencils and paper. I don’t thing I really ‘got into art’ I think I just started young and refused to stop.

What sets my work apart from others?
Well I think it takes skill to see a photograph and reproduce it, and skill is learned, anyone can do that, however that’s not what I want. I want to literally show that there are worlds inside of the gemstones that I work on. Not just an emerald or a sapphire. I want to show people that this is different style as if you took a photo of a gem and then pulled the universe inside the gem out and see what is already there.
I want to use gems as a device to capture something.
I want to capture a feeling or an event or whatever and put it inside the gem. Not just here’s a sapphire and paint what it looks like. So what sets me apart is that there are so many painters that can paint a gem. But that’s not what art is for me.
Art is about showing what is more than what you see, it’s about what I feel, what needs to be brought to the surface. I want to be able to take people in and let them explore inside something. Not just look at the ordinary.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Stop undervaluing them. In the recent years of quarantine and how our system, our entire society has kind of toned down everything they do outside and with each other, in person at least, so may people watched movies, and went to doing more diy and creative things because its a need.
Art is something that bring value to life. It is not something we need to live, but it brings value to life itself. We started looking for something that added value when we could not look to people to add value to us.
So just as you would talk about your favorite movie, and tell your friend ‘hey I saw this and it was amazing’ it should be the same with all types of art, photography, or everything.
It should be more common place, I think that it would be amazing if instead of going to see the latest blockbuster movie, that you grab your best friend and find a new independent creator and show them some love, tell them how awesome you think their work is, shout them out on social media, and maybe even buy something.
I think is should be people should start looking much more toward individuals than they do toward corporations. Because corporations don’t need help. Corporations are not supporting the creators. Individuals ware supporting the creators. That is how we can help create a thriving ecosystem, to be involved.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Goal? not Really. Mission: My sanity! lol My art is not goal oriented. It is more of an “I have to”. I have to create. It’s my therapy, my sanity, it keeps me centered. There have been so many times that I have felt something, needed to express it and not had the words, not been able to speak it to anyone, and I find myself painting. Because I can’t put what I need, what I feel into words. Some people crave travel, or to be surrounded by sunlight and nature, while I like those things I dont crave them in my soul. I need art, crave it, in the core depths of my little being. It has been with me in the darkest times in my life and given me a safe way to navigate back out.
It evolves like anything else. The more you do it the more it takes you places. I have never imposed my will on it, it goes where it will and I go along for the ride. And somehow it comes out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitruvian_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitruvianart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vitruvianart

Image Credits
Kosnar Gem Co. William Adams