"My paintings are an expression of a playful world I never had. Somehow I missed my childhood, went straight into marriage and motherhood and much of the fun in life seemed to pass me by. Now, as I sit and work in my studio, I can take my most excessive imaginings for a walk in complete safety and do all the naughty things I might like to have done."

Rosa Sepple

In Out of the Blue we are introduced to a fascinating visual world created by one of our most exciting and intriguing British artists, Rosa Sepple. Yet behind her playful scenes and cheerful characters is a darker narrative echoing the artist’s own life, a picture of childhood upheaval, beset in later years by depression and a debilitating condition diagnosed as trigeminal neuralgia.

Against this background we are brought to discover greater meaning to Rosa’s seeming light hearted and flirtatious images, transporting her work from its apparent naive status into paintings that contain far more depth than first meets the eye.

It is this aspect of the artist’s work that Adrian Hill explores in his Introduction to this book. Based on interviews with the artist he teases out some of the mysteries behind the images, exploring the nature of art therapy as it applies both to the individual and in its wider social context, revealing an insight into Rosa’s work that allows us to see the tears behind the wide smiles of her characters.

Adrian Hill is the third generation of his family behind two of East Anglia’s most successful and well-known art galleries, Picturecraft of Holt and Adrian Hill Fine Art. From here many artists have begun successful careers, returning again and again to exhibit at these premier locations.

Both Adrian and his father have also contributed to a number of publications helping to promote those whose work they exhibit and bringing to the public a deeper appreciation of the artist’s world.

This volume is one of a series of art books published by Halstar in association with Picturecraft Gallery.

Imprint: Halstar. ISBN 978 1 906690 58 8, hardback, 260x270mm, 144 pages. Published August 2015.