About Me | Renboga

A photo of Rosie wearing a shirt and woolly hat against a country setting.

Hello, I'm Rosie Brandon!

A photo of Rosie with two others with big smiles, standing outside in a field.

A photo of Rosie in an orange jumper, smiling outside in a forest.

I'm an artist and educator on a mission to share the power and joy of art with the people around me.

Art has always and will always be a fundamental part of my life; when I’m making art I feel my most excited and self-assured. From a source of enormous pride and absolute focus, to a powerful way to connect with people or just wild good fun, art has morphed into whatever shape I’ve needed.

I’m a people person through and through and, for me, teaching and taking care of students is as exciting as the art itself. My love of being with and learning to understand and empower people has been the focus of my education and experience and is a big part of my motivation for creating Renboga. I’ve had marvellous fun working with children and young people over the past 13 years and have been especially fulfilled by my role as a Forest School Leader. My forest school training and my experience of leading an outdoor children's nursery showed me the powerful value in freedom of expression, inspiring environments, nurturing relationships (and cake!). I want to bring all of those wonderful things to Renboga, creating an art school with forest school values at its core. I think it's a delightful combination!

Read Rosie's testimonials

A photo of Rosie in a rainbow t-shirt, spinning rainbow-coloured paint on a table.

Rosie indoors having a group hug with four others.

Experience & Qualifications

BA(Hons) Early Childhood Studies, Oxford Brookes
Art Therapy Foundation, Oxford College of Arts

Foundation in Fine Art, Creative Craft, Drawing and Painting, Abingdon and Witney College
Arts Award Bronze and Silver Advisor Training, Trinity College
Level 3 Forest School Leaders Training, Hill End
Designated Safeguarding Lead Training, Buckinghamshire County Council (updated every 2 years)
Paediatric First Aid, Empty Hands Defence (Updated every 3 years)
Outdoor First Aid, Empty Hands Defence (Updated every 3 years)
Enhanced DBS check

The Renboga Philosophy

Anglo Saxon for Rainbow, Renboga is a celebration of colour and our ancient connection with nature. The Renboga Art Centre is a place to be, whatever the weather, where both your sunniest and stormiest parts are welcome.

Our student centred approach means that teaching is dynamic and adapts, in the moment, to wherever inspiration takes us. There will be a huge selection of high quality art materials to choose from and students will be encouraged to lead their own artwork with support from tutors and peers. There will also be a variety of more guided projects for those who prefer a little more structure. We want to create a space where people feel their creative ideas are valued, can be inspired by each other and the variety of unique artworks happening around them. Unique art by unique people.

All sessions include homemade cakes and hot and cold drinks. There will be a fire circle, hammocks, bean bags and sofas and a relaxed schedule with lots of time for rest and reflection and to admire each other's work. Renboga is set inside a spacious yurt surrounded by a wild flower meadow so there will be plenty of space for outdoor art and inspirations from nature. Renboga is a mess-friendly place where you are welcome to splat, slather and splodge until your heart's content!

Small, familiar, regular groups, or one to one relationships; an opportunity to make friends over shared passion and memorable experiences. A network of artists with whom to share ideas, be inspired and admire each other's work. Open days, networking events, exhibitions and gallery visits offer further occasions to celebrate and make connections.

I firmly believe that art should be for everyone. Renboga is the place for you if you’re new to art and want to explore, or if art is your consuming passion and you need time and space to devote to it. Small group sizes and opportunities for 1:1 with flexible timekeeping including plenty of breaks that students can work at their own pace. Mixed age groups; making room for natural mentorship and varied inspirations and friendships, as well as alleviating the pressures of comparison between peers, something which can be particularly freeing for those with additional needs or exceptional talents. Family groups enable carers and artists to work collaboratively.

With student autonomy at the forefront, Renboga is a space where students can lead their own learning with room for big, messy projects, music, laughter and lively discussions. We pride ourselves on maximum creative freedom; students are welcome to wear their own clothes, create their own musical playlists and otherwise bring parts of themselves or their lives into the group. There are no compulsory projects or exercises; Students are encouraged to arrive with their own ideas and will learn skills and techniques as they bring them to life.

We ensure there is time for everybody to feel heard and regarded with positivity and encouragement. We are passionate about holding a safe space for students and the expectation that we will treat each other with kindness. I’ve teamed up with a local baker who will provide home made cakes to go alongside hot and cold drinks to foster a sense of being cared for. Sessions are centered around the needs of the students. There will be lots of comfortable places for rest, contemplation and socialising including hammocks, a sofa, bean bags and a fire circle.

We believe that the environment can have a substantial influence on creativity and so we choose our space and structures carefully. Taking influence from the Forest School approach we often choose to work outside in the open air! We’re so lucky to be working in such a gorgeous green space. In respect of this, Renboga is 100% solar-powered, uses a sustainable compost toilet and utilises second-hand and recycled materials as much as possible. See ‘About the Renboga site’ for more details.

Introducing the Renboga Art Centre!

We believe that your surroundings can make all the difference. At Renboga we have made sure that our environment is a physical embodiment of our ethos. Following in the steps of forest school, this means natural, expansive, inspiring and free.

The nucleus of the site is our 6 meter Mongolian yurt, which acts as the perfect bridge between a more traditional class room and the natural world we are looking to connect with. Our door welcomes the sun and sees it set each day, and you can always hear the world outside as you go about your work. We also have to adapt with the seasons, making sure to stock-up on firewood for the stove in preparation for the winter, and uncovering the crown for ventilation in the summer. At the same time, the yurt is equipped with an amazing variety of materials, contains a small library of art books, and has enough seating for 12 around a collaborative horseshoe table.

The yurt is surrounded by a wild flower meadow and arboretum-in-the-making, making for an idyllic and inspirational backdrop to the creative works going on at Renboga. Much of our work happens outside, and we have a variety of garden furniture to perch on and take in your surroundings for a quiet moment of reflection. To protect this special place, we are careful to minimise our impact - we rely entirely on solar power and use an eco-friendly composting toilet. During breaktimes we will always make the most of our outdoor space, often by fueling up the pizza oven and eating together around the fire.

Lopemede farm is an old family cattle farm, situated right on the cusp between Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, in the Thame Valley. As a working farm, there will be plenty of opportunities to engage in traditional English agricultural life and draw inspiration that could end up in all manner of artistic creations!

Lopemede Farm

The yurt with its circular space and its elegant supporting beams has a breathtaking ambience. It provides an other-worldly-ness that really helps to access that creative frame of mind. With a Sky light, 6 windows and solar powered lighting it is a tremendously light and airy space; and a wood burning stove makes it cosy on cold days.

Yurt

There is a powerful beauty about the site; jeweled with wild grass and flowers, saplings and mighty oaks. It's wide open space will act as our muse, inviting movement and letting us embark upon enormous, and messy artworks as we wish. With the sun overhead, grass between your feet and the chiming of birds in your ear, I hope simply being here will feed your creative soul just as it does mine.

Wildflower

Meadow

Lopemede farm is surrounded by postcard English countryside, and we will take every opportunity to lap it up - especially on longer holiday classes! The Brentwood Jubilee Way is barley a 2 minute walk from site, with gorgeous views of the meandering Thame and light woodland to explore. There we can take inspiration from the land, and `learn about the plants and animals that inhabit it.

The Local

Area