In music, there are a few women known by just one name, like Cher or Beyonce. In the art world, there’s Rosamond. Born Christine Rosamond Presco, she’s best known simply as “Rosamond.” In the 1970s, Rosamond became a household name, known for selling millions of works featuring “negative space” and the predominance of women in her pictures like “Blue Ice,” “Autumn,” and “Denim and Silk.” Rosamond was a prolific artist, known for her paintings, watercolors, etchings, lithographs and acrylic creations. Born in California in 1947, Rosamond was one of the few American women to rise to prominence in the male-dominated art scene of the 20th Century.
Rosamond Artwork for Sale
Like most artists, Rosamond’s life was not without its challenges. The third of four children, hers was a dysfunctional household to grow up in– both parents were alcoholics. Interestingly, all four children– Rosamond and her three siblings– eventually became alcoholics too. Rosamond did join Alcoholics Anonymous, eventually…
Remember the hippie movement of the 1960s? Rosamond was one of its pioneers. She was part of a famous commune. After that, she took up art in order to support herself and her young daughter. Celebrities like Priscilla Presley bought her work. Gallery owners wanted her work. Soon she was selling millions of paintings and becoming a worldwide success. To have a “Rosamond print” was to show that you were an affluent person.
In 1994, at age 46, Rosamond was celebrating her first sober birthday in a long time… but it was also the year she unexpectedly died. She was in a cove near Big Sur, California, enjoying a tide pool, sitting on a rock with her back to the sea. A rogue wave came in, and swept her out to sea where she tragically drowned.
Though she lived a relatively short life, her work lives on– her art is still popular all over the world.
Curious to see what some of Rosamond’s artwork looked like? Framewoods Gallery has several pieces for sale, including “Parlor Games” and “Storyteller.” See this page.
