Rosa Fortys: Portraits of Dignified Power

Rosa Fortys artwork wraps itself around you like your abuelita after a long journey home. Warm, soft, and safe. Still, the work carries a vibrating sense of power. Akin to a nuzzle from a lioness, she chooses to embrace you, yet the immense power and freedom to dominate is unmistakably evident. 

Her work gushes ancient energy that bleeds from broad strokes to specks of detail. Before meeting Rosa, her paintings left me with more questions than answers. Standing before them, I repeatedly found myself asking, who is the woman in this painting? 

A forgotten goddess? A teenager filled with angst? Rosa in some alternate universe?

Rosa might answer simply, "That's Sylvia," with a bashful grin of admiration. Sylvia, Joy, and Sage have become protagonists in Rosa's storytelling and fixtures in her healing journey. These subjects, and consequently, muses, are dancers and aerialists. Their physiques lend themselves to the unshakable confidence Rosa seeks to employ and deliver to her audience. Their striking posture and physical discipline allow for an internal transcendence through Rosa's watercolor expressions. 

Mythical or literal, each feminine presence in Rosa's work is hyper aware of her power. Whether the subject is draped elegantly over glowing orbs, peering back as if to challenge your entry into her kingdom, or fossilized in a horned statuesque gaze, proclaiming defiance toward the challenges that lie in the distance, her heroines inspire dignified power. 

“Art Is my Therapy, It’s the voice that allows me to speak in ways words could never describe” - Rosa Fortys

Rosa's brushstrokes carve away at your reality, etching a doorway into a world where women can recognize and stand in their potential. She seeks to leave her viewers and patrons with both peace and inspiration to live to the standards of their highest self. Unquestionably executed, Rosa's work "Reminds women that they are badass."

Writing by - Marquez Woods