Rokhaya Waring
About the Artist
Based in: Clyde, NC
Website: https://www.rokhaya.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rokhayawaringart
Biography
Homeschooled on Boston’s North Shore, my French mother taught me that getting out of one’s comfort zone and cultivating curiosity translates into a great education and an even more fascinating childhood- as was her own growing up in the jungles of Africa. She taught me how to draw- or how to see. Daily sketching from life, reading French poetry, playing the violin, raising goats, snakes, eating exotic foods and camping across America are some of the colorful experiences that shaped the person and painter I am today.
After graduating from Princeton with a BA in Art History/Visual Arts I spent the summer painting in the Provence, my home for the next twenty years. Hay rolls, sunflower and poppy fields were some of my favorite subjects. In 2008 I moved back to the Cape Ann of my childhood, and Gloucester and its harbor captured my heart. I've also spent time painting in other parts of the United States, Paris, Israel, and Tahiti. I now live in the Smoky Mountains with my husband, artist Alex Eisenzopf, and our two whippets.
Artist Statement
I carry a sketchbook everywhere I go which keeps me loose and ready to jot down the seeds for larger works. I’m drawn to color and pattern, such as boats in a harbor, fields of flowers, or moving clouds. Rather than a single focal point I often try to depict intangibles such as atmosphere, harmony, and movement. I feel it’s important to fall in love with one’s subject. A painter should reveal to the viewer something that is connected to them, even if small or simple.
Exhibitions and Awards
PLEIN AIR AWARDS:
North Carolina Plein Air ‘25: Best of Show
Mountain Maryland Plein Air ‘25: Best of Show
CAPA ‘25: Best impressionist/Charles Shurcliff Memorial Award
Annapolis ‘24: 1st place QD
Annapolis ’24: Juried Artist Excellence Award
Wayne ‘24 Dixon Ticonderoga Award
Wayne ‘24: Blick Art Award
New Bern ‘24: Blick Art Award
Suffolk ‘24: Best Farmland
Suffolk ‘24: 3rd place QD
Blowing Rock ‘24: Blowing Rock in Bloom Award
Easton ‘23: Hon. Men. QD
Augusta ‘23: Judge’s Choice
Augusta ‘23: Sponsor’s Choice
CAPA ‘22: 3rd place QD
Southport ‘22: 1st place - Mayor’s Choice
Parrsboro ‘19: Honorable Mention, QD
CAPA ‘18: 2nd place QD
UPCOMING PLEIN AIR EVENTS:
Lighthouse Plein Air ‘26
Olmsted Plein Air Invitational ‘26
North Carolina Plein Air ‘26
Paint Grand Traverse ‘26
PAST PLEIN AIR EVENTS:
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘25
Plein Air Litchfield ‘25
Mountain Maryland Plein Air ‘25
North Carolina Plein Air ‘25
Suffolk Plein Air ‘25
Wayne Plein Air ‘24
Paint Annapolis ‘24
Plein Air New Bern ‘24
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘24
Suffolk Plein Air ‘24
Blowing Rock ‘24
Augusta Plein Air ‘23
Plein Air New Bern ‘23
Paint Annapolis ‘23
Plein Air Easton ‘23
Brevard Plein Air ‘23 *Featured Artist
Paint the Smokies ‘23 QD
En Plein Air Texas ‘23 QD
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘22
Knoxville Plein Air ‘22
Blowing Rock ‘22
Brevard Plein Air ‘22
Southport Plein Air ‘22
Bath County Plein Air ‘21
St George Island Paint Out ‘20
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘20 QD
Parrsboro Plein Air ‘19
Bath County Plein Air ‘18
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘19 QD
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘18 QD
Cape Ann Plein Air ‘17
Marblehead Plein Air 2011- 2018