“It’s never too late to start anything.” This quote is a beautiful reminder that progression in life is not linear, and that dreams can be fulfilled at any point in time. Rosemary Karuga is the embodiment of this statement by virtue of beginning her art career at the age of 60.  

 

Early Life

Her story began on 19th June 1928, on the highlands of Meru. As a little girl, Rosemary managed to find beauty in the mundane. Inspiration could strike at any time, and Rosemary could turn any blank object into her canvas. Even the walls of her family home were not spared during her creative sprees as she filled them with charcoal drawings of her most recent muse.  

Rosemary attended a mission school set up by the Catholic church, and here her gift did not go unnoticed. The nuns running the school recognised her talent and encouraged her to keep at it. Upon completing her studies, they recommended her for enrolment at Makerere University’s newly established School of Fine Art. Thus in 1950, Rosemary became the first female student to study art at this prestigious university.  

Upon graduating in 1952, Rosemary returned to Kenya where she landed a job as an art teacher at Gakuka Primary School in Kiambu, got married and started her family. She later relocated to Ruiru and began teaching at Ruera Primary School. Sharing her knowledge of design, painting, and sculpting brought her contentment, but it was all limited to the school’s curriculum, and Rosemary yearned to create her own art. Though with a growing family and a tight budget, she was unable to purchase the quality art supplies she had used at Makerere. As time went by, her dream seemingly floated farther from her reach, and so she resigned herself to her new responsibilities.  

 

Rekindled Passion for Art

In the mid 80s, with failing eyesight and hearing, Rosemary said goodbye to the classroom as she retired from her teaching profession. With more time on her hands, she began to look for ways to keep busy. Her mind kept wandering back to art, even after years of not creating anything of her own. In 1987, Rosemary gave in to her want and decided to work on a piece. Even financial constraints could not keep her from exploring her creativity as she collected paper jackets of soap, maize flour, and any other scrap paper that she could gather. With these, Rosemary created her first mosaics since graduating from university. Her daughter who visited soon after the masterpiece was completed, saw the potential in her mother’s work and took them to Gallery Watatu in Nairobi, where they were purchased by renowned art dealer, Ruth Schaffner. 

Rosemary’s art immediately gained demand! She landed an artist-in-residence position at the Paa ya Paa Arts Centre in the capital. Her prominence in the art world rose very quickly; it was almost as though the universe was making up for all the years lost. In 1988, acclaimed Nigerian writer, Amos Tutuola, commissioned Rosemary for the cover art of his book, The Palm-Wine Drunkard. This propelled her into international recognition as her work was showcased in Paris alongside Tutuola’s writing, then in Studio Museum of Harlem, New York where she co-exhibited with other African artists in a show titled ‘Contemporary African Artists—Changing Traditions.’ 

 

Over the years, Rosemary continued to produce work that has been shown and sold internationally. Some of her pieces are a part of the Kenya National Archives, and images of her collages feature in art textbooks as instructional examples.   

In 2006, as Rosemary’s health deteriorated, she moved to Ireland to live with her daughter. There she remained until her passing on 9th February 2021. We remember her as a phenomenal woman who changed the tide of her life and by doing so left a mark on the world.  

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