Paul J. Rellinger, Northumberland News
COBOURG — After living in Cobourg for more than six years, artist Jillian Roos-Markowitz is still inspired by the beauty that surrounds her in Northumberland County.
Ms. Roos-Markowitz moved to Cobourg from Etobicoke, where she was heavily involved in the arts, to become more enveloped by a creative community and people, she said.
"I came here because I needed an arts community," Ms. Roos-Markowitz said.
"When I moved here I just fell in love with the beauty of the Northumberland hills."
A mixed-media artist, Ms. Roos-Markowitz best describes her work as "full of movement, rhythm and music."
Her most recent work is now on display at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in Cobourg, part of the gallery's 36th annual juried exhibition which opened on Feb. 9. The exhibit runs until March 9.
"To be featured here at the gallery with so many other local artists who are very talented is very humbling," she said. "It's also a beautiful gallery and to have a venue like this for local artists to showcase their work is just wonderful."
Examining the world around her is how she goes about creating her work, which includes charcoal drawings, sculptures, fabric work and linocut prints.
Aside from Cobourg, some of Ms. Roos-Markowitz's work hangs in private and corporate collections around the world, including England, the United States, the Bahamas, Australia and Hong Kong.
Ms. Roos-Markowitz, who also serves a curator at the co-operative Colborne Art Gallery, said she is mostly inspired "by shapes I see in nature," but first felt inspired to create after becoming a mother for the first time.
"When my daughter was born, I felt the need to be something else, something more than changing diapers and feeding her," she said. "Creativity comes when you least expect it. I get goose bumps just talking about it."
And when it comes to slowing down or retiring, Ms. Roos-Markowitz said she has never even contemplated the idea.
"I'm never retired, I'm an artist. Age is but a number, but I can tell you I feel like I'm 35," Ms. Roos-Markowitz said, while not revealing her true age. "When you say you're retired, you stop the flow of ideas and creative emotions. I'll never stop creating. It's my passion."