CityView Magazine

arts O n a bookshelf in George Rose’s home studio sits a framed photograph of his father. The two men had gone on fishing trips together for years but never thought to bring a camera. Rose finally did snap a few frames on what wound up being their last trip. The same picture hangs on the wall behind his drafting table. Only, it’s not exactly the same. In fact, it’s not even a photograph. Rather, the astoundingly detailed image is a photorealistic sketch drawn by Rose. “There’s a story behind most of my pictures. They mean something to me,” he said. “A lot of them are memories, scenes from my life.” The 53-year-old Fayetteville native has always had an interest in art. He didn’t really begin pursuing it though until about 10 years ago. Once his daughters started taking art lessons, his interest was renewed. Rose has been taking lessons from local artist Becky Lee for the last eight years. Once a week, he meets with her for an hour-long lesson. “Working with Becky forces me to keep doing something art-wise and that’s good,” he said. “It’s like with anything. In order to keep your skills honed, you’ve got to put in the hours. You’ve got to keep doing it.” Years ago, Rose dabbled in acrylics and oils. Since renewing his interest in art, he has used colored pencils exclusively. The results are amazing, the stroke of the pencil capturing the shadows under a boardwalk or the lines of a local landmark to picture- perfect detail. “I had never used them for artwork before. I prefer fine lines, fine details. Colored pencils really appealed to me,” he said. Colorblind, Rose has difficulty with some shades of pink and green. While those colors may not jump out at him, he doesn’t shy away from using them. “The name of the color is written on the side of each pencil, so I’m always confident that I’m using the right one,” Rose said. “They really are prefect for me.” Rose holds a bachelor’s in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. During college he worked for his father, Sol Rose, doing field survey work and drafting. The elder Rose was also an engineer by trade who helped to found a Fayetteville engineering firm that would become known as The Rose Group. CityViewNC.com | 27

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