Statement

My work is driven by material affinity and the satisfying mark-making from hand-powered, meticulous & repetitive processes. I indulge in practices such as machine knitting, drawing, sewing, hand-powered tattooing, and typing.

The visual language of my work revolves around my identity and was developed from my drawing style as a teenager. I have been inspired by illustrative and interactive media like video games, anime, and comic books, as well as cultural artifacts like old world textiles, folk art, and spiritual objects.

The result is a broad selection of artworks and art objects - tangible, intangible, functional or non-functional - that share relationships not only in visual language but also in my affinity for that process and material. Together, these pieces build my world - Tigerbob - and provide multiple options to explore and participate in the work.

Information

The purpose of this website is to showcase the work of Gossamer Rozen as an independent artist. Gossamer practices as both an independent artist and as the artist and founder of the Tigerbob.

Tigerbob is a brand, platform, and business model designed to highlight the one-of-a-kind work of the artist to scale up the work with sustainable manufacturing practices and collaborations. It is centered on the Tigerbob tiger character. The brand includes a made-to-order fashion line, plush toy, and online store featuring Gossamer’s illustrations and other handmade products.

Gossamer’s independent practice is expanded through Tigerbob with knitting machine and code-based artwork. The artist explores personal questions about knitting as an art form versus its domestic connotations, and draws connections between grid inputs and the digital and physical outputs they produce.

This website includes Gossamer’s independent tattoo practice, and illustration and textile projects created prior to the conception of Tigerbob.

Ongoing Independent Projects

• Handpoked Tattoo Practice

  • Pre-Drawn Flash

  • Completed Tattoos

• Intarsiacore

• Mrammou

Ongoing Tigerbob Brand Projects

Evolving explorations following a product line or process.
Visit the website to see additional projects.

• Intarsiacore

• Grid Inputs

• Machine Knitting

• Tigerbob Plush Line

• Made-To-Order Fashion

DESIGN & PROCESS: Review this page for a behind-the-scenes look at my drawing process.

VISUAL LANGUAGE: Learn more about my art style here.

Biography

Gossamer Rozen (a.k.a grelysian) is a transgender, nonbinary, femme, African American & Filipino fine artist and tattooer in New York City. Gossamer has worked with and collaborated with brands such as The Boston Globe, Patagonia, Squarespace and Dr Martens.

Gossamer has been making art primarily to understand their identity and to examine and to connect the world around them. Gossamer began as a maker with an interest in game design, narrative illustration, comic books, and children's' book illustrations. Their current body of work explores a variety of media post-graduation from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2012, including but not limited to tattooing, fashion design, textile design, knitting, weaving, soft sculpture, digital media, animations, and fashion design.

The slow process of hand sewing, hand carving, tattooing, and machine knitting is meticulous and repetitive, a type of meditation that is integral if not more important than the finished work. Gossamer is particular about history and material, exploring their heritage through tattooing and artifacts.

Gossamer founded the Tigerbob brand in 2022, an artist-led and artist-first character brand focusing on lifestyle, slow, luxury fashion, and fine art that supports Gossamer’s artistry rather than extracting from it.

Pronouns: They/them and she/her.