Episode 258 - Rosemary Lee on drawing, detail, and the Dobell Prize
Rosemary Lee, winner of the 2025 Dobell Drawing Prize, reveals how her meticulously detailed coloured pencil drawings—often taking months to complete—transform mundane urban landscapes into rich, almost painterly compositions. What’s striking isn’t just the technical mastery, but her radical commitment to finishing every inch of the paper: she doesn’t leave white space, even in skies, because 'the vision in my head doesn’t have a gap in it.' This obsession with completeness, paired with her refusal to use digital undo features, underscores a philosophy of artistic integrity rooted in physical, embodied labor. Her journey—from oil painter haunted by toxic fumes to a devoted coloured pencil artist—wasn’t a planned pivot but a series of accidents and revelations, including a six-month creative block that ended only after she stepped away to sew. Now, she’s preparing for the Dobell Biennial exhibition and a solo show at Flinders Street Gallery, while teasing a new series on moths—nature’s overlooked, hyper-detailed marvels. Her work challenges the boundaries between drawing and painting, and between precision and emotion, proving that patience isn’t passive—it’s a form of deep attention that can make the ordinary feel sacred.
Finish every surface of the paper—even white space—because your internal vision has no gaps.
Use a knife, not an electric sharpener, to maintain control and tactile connection with your medium.
A six-month creative block ended only after stepping away to sew—proving that creative recovery often requires a complete shift in activity.
Never use digital undo: embrace organic mistakes as essential to the work’s authenticity.
Coloured pencil can achieve a painterly, flat, graphic quality that oil paint cannot replicate at the same scale.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Welcome to Art Wank: Moving House and Studio Visits
The hosts kick off the episode with personal anecdotes—Julie’s stressful house move, Gary’s visit to recent art shows, and Fiona’s excitement about Jerry Salt’s talk—setting a warm, conversational tone before introducing the guest.
Introducing Rosemary Lee and the Dobell Prize
“I did cry a little bit, so...”
The Emotional Weight of Winning the Dobell Prize
“It was amazing. I was floored and in a state of disbelief.”
From Oil Paint to Coloured Pencil: A Medium Shift
“I couldn’t do with oil paint. Or maybe I could. I think it would be... There’s a challenge, right?”
The Accidental Path to Drawing
Rosemary shares how she accidentally chose printmaking at art school, then transitioned to drawing through copying Instagram artists and falling in love with coloured pencil portraits.
“Yeah, I don't like the undo. I like the sort of organic mishaps that you get from drawing.”
“I think I’m going to change subject. I’m going to do a series of moths.”
“And in that piece, the construction site, drawing that one, the Doebell, I tried to strip away as much nature as I could and just sort of made it this... utilitarian hellscape.”
Hosts
Guest
Rosemary Lee
person
Dobell Drawing Prize
other
Parramatta Artists Studio
organization
National Art School
organization
Flinders Street Gallery
organization
Prismacolor
product
Quantum Radiology
organization
Jerry Salt
person
Michael Cusack
person
Cressida Campbell
person
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