Rosie Woods: Digital Innovation and Golden Street Art

Rosie Woods is an artist from London who now splits her time between the UK and Australia. She has become known for her vibrant street art containing rich colours and abstract patterns. Her approach, a combination of technology and traditional painting techniques.

Hyper Gold

We are speaking just before Woods’ first solo exhibition, ‘Hyper Gold‘. It is set to open at London’s BSMT Space gallery and features digital inspired gold paintings. Bringing them all together in a single experience. One that aims to introduce viewers to a work that allows her to explore the interplay between art and technology.

---

---

Studio to Street

Despite very much starting as a fine artist. Rosie Woods has arguably become better known for her street art. In the run up to the show two large scale golden murals appeared in London. A giant lion painted onto the gable end of a house in Walthamstow. Then a smaller, but no less impressive piece, on hoardings in Old Street. As an introduction to this new style of work they struck a chord. Garnering attention for their unique look and shimmering feel.

Unconventional

Woods’ entry into the street art scene was anything but conventional. “I started painting murals in 2013, and I felt like an intruder for a very long time,” she admits. Despite not having a traditional graffiti background, she ended up joining Graffiti Life, a commercial mural collective. It was here where she learned large-scale painting techniques. Always wanting to paint big it was some apprenticeship. Woods saying how she had four of the best years of her life with the collective.

Street and Graffiti Culture

The shift from fine art to the street meant that she soon needed to adapt to a different culture. Reflecting on feeling like an outsider initially:

“I wasn’t graffiti based. I wasn’t street art based. I literally went straight into the commercial thing. I didn’t have a tag, and I remember people saying to me, like, ‘Oh, like, what do you write?’ And I was like, ‘Right, what do I write?’ I mean, I don’t know what that means. I felt like an intruder for a very long time”.

Unwritten Rules

Rosie expands on how she was acutely aware of the unwritten rules of street art culture. “I was very wary that I didn’t want to bite any other artists.” Explaining that this meant not copying or imitating any other artists styles or technique. It meant that she spent time developing a style that was entirely her own. Even if it meant creating work that would seem unusual or unconventional.

Odd Shapes and Floating Forms

Some of the work created in those early days she now jokes as being quite “weird”. Murals with odd shapes and floating forms that made sense to her at the time. “I really went out of my way to make sure I was doing something different,” she says. Adding that she needed to express herself in a way that was authentic. “But was in no way looking like anything else that was on the streets.”

Originality

I can’t help but think that it is this drive for originality which is responsible for her gold paintings now. The result both on the street and on the canvas are some truly unique visuals. They are a blend of passions. First a recognition of Rosie’s love for more traditional painterly techniques. But second this desire to see what technology can do. To explore where it’s boundaries can be taken.

Starting Digital

“I always start digital,” she explains. First using 3D software to play with lighting, composition and simulations. Then exploring and playing with the technology. It’s a method that allows Rosie to create artworks that blur the lines between digital and physical, abstract and real.

Shiny Things

The results are images that look ethereal and otherworldly. There is a slickness, like the gold has melted and morphed into it’s new shape whilst retaining it’s sheen. “I’ve always been attracted to shiny things,” she says. Tracing this fascination back to a childhood memory of a metallic Winnebago on Bromley High Street. Revealing a fascination when seeing how a well known vista could be transformed. Simply by looking at it through an alternate surface.

Design Process

Her digital design process is intricate and multifaceted. Woods enjoys the exploration and the possibilities presented by using digital and texture modeling. It’s an approach that allows her to create incredibly detailed digital representations that serve as the foundation for her physical artworks.

“I’m really interested in how art and technology are running alongside each other”

Digital to Physical

When transitioning from digital to physical mediums, it’s here where Woods demonstrates her technical versatility. Painting techniques range from precise acrylic layering to occasional oil painting. Each method carefully chosen to capture the depth and texture she first imagines digitally. For larger scale works, particularly murals, she employs spray paint and paint guns. A complete shift and yet equally at home with either.

Imagination

When discussing her artistic goals, Woods is clear: “I just hope it sparks your imagination… I want to create a joyful experience that feels emotionally weighted.” It’s a philosophy that manifests in her ability to transform ordinary objects into visual experiences. Something that she has done with Hyper Gold. A true vision for an artistic future.

About the Artist and Hyper Gold
Rosie Woods is an artist known for her street and contemporary work. Based between the UK and Australia. She has developed an innovative approach to visual art and her ability to blend technological processes with traditional artistic techniques. Hyper Gold is her first solo exhibition held at London’s BSMT Gallery. It runs from 20 March to 6 April 2025.

For more Inspiring City articles you will like, take a look at…

• Rosie Woods ‘Hyper Gold’ at BSMT Space Gallery
• Street Art Murals of Wood Street in Walthamstow
• All the Murals from the 2024 London Mural Festival