Please tell us about yourself and the journey you have taken to becoming an artist.

Hi, I’m Sarah. I live in Hackney, East London with my husband and my cat Cynthia. I studied at Leeds College of Art and Design a long time ago, and spent a few years making art when I graduated and moved to London. However, the reality of paying rent and the cost of a studio and materials made me focus on working in the art world rather than making art itself. It was only recently, as I turned 40 that I really decided that art is something I want to take seriously – and so I took the plunge and took on a studio. I haven’t looked back – and I find my practice complements my day job working for an arts education charity.

What helped you get to where you are today? Are there any people, events or experiences which shaped your practice?

The catalyst for picking up a paintbrush again was the pandemic. I was furloughed from my job at Tate and filled my time walking around Hackney and Walthamstow Marshes. I took photos on these walks which became the inspiration for paintings.

When I started posting my work on Instagram, I received such good reactions and support from friends, family and strangers, which really boosted my confidence and kept me motivated. It’s lovely that you can build these pockets of community on the internet and I’ve been really inspired by other artists doing the same.

Tell us about your studio practice. How do you create your artworks and what does a day in the life of Sarah look like?

I’m often in the studio at evenings and most weekends. I share the studio at London Fields with my husband and we’ll usually walk or cycle down together.

I’ll spend a bit of time faffing about, tidying, looking at reference photos or books – which gives me time to look at my work in progress properly and work out what needs doing. If it’s a day where I’m starting a new piece, that’s usually pretty exciting because that’s the best bit. I like to create a backdrop of various colours –which just involves working in a loose and messy way and is very fun. Then the task is to draw in the detail and shape the image.

For a few years I was painting at home, which was convenient but limited how big I can work. It’s still a huge excitement to be able to get out large canvases and have the space to work on multiple paintings at once. I've also started working with chalk pastel on paper, which is something I could never do at home as it’s so messy – but creates amazing results.

Where and how do you source the imagery for your artworks?

I regularly walk around the Hackney and Walthamstow Marshes, and love the Middlesex Filter Beds and the Waterworks Nature Reserve bird hides, as well as quiet paths alongside the River Lea. I have lived in Hackney for 12 years, during which time the Lower Lea Valley has been my go-to place to walk, run or enjoy a beer.

My reference imagery is always taken from my own photos taken on my phone – which I'll then print out to work from. I have hundreds and hundreds of photos from the same areas, as every walk shows up something new. When you start paying attention to the seasons and the light, it’s extraordinary how many different colour palettes can appear in the landscape. I feel like I'm starting to develop a better eye for subtle differences in colour, shade etc.

Although my work has focused on the area close to where I live, I plan to make some work from photographs taken in the Lake District. I grew up in Kendal and spent a lot of time at my Grandparents’ house in Hawkshead – and have taken many photographs of these areas and of Grizedale Forest. Watch this space!

What do you hope that you work communicates to the world?

When I’m inspired by something I see when I'm outdoors, the essence of what interested me can sometimes be lost in a photograph. I hope that my work brings some of that magic back – through heightened colour, interesting compositions or exaggerated detail. I'm grateful to have these areas of green space so close to my house – and I hope my work inspires others to appreciate the natural world and the urgency of taking care of it.

What is your je ne sais quoi? That special something that makes your work unique?

People have been painting pictures of the landscape for centuries –and in my own way I am trying to find new ways to depict the same subject matter. I purposefully avoid the traditional landscape format – preferring to paint scenes in portrait or on square canvases. I like to be bold with colour and tend to exaggerate my palettes, bringing an almost psychedelic quality to my work. My paintings are a balance of observational detail and loose paint marks and gestures – and through the latter is where I’m trying to push my work further.

What other styles, artists or artworks have influenced you?

Where to start? I find all sorts of artists inspiring but I think in particular, Hockney’s countryside landscapes, Bridget Riley and how her colours interact and I love Cezanne and Van Gogh. There are so many contemporary painters that I look to also. Nick Bodimeade’s work has had a massive influence on me, and inspired me to paint landscapes – his British B Roads series depict country roads, with a few confident brush strokes and brilliant colours. I also love Per Adolfsen’s drawings so much – check out his Instagram, his work is so inspiring. I’m interested in writers and artists who make work about places, walking and psychogeography, such as Iain Sinclair, Nick Waplington, Stephen Gill, Arthur Wainwright and Laura Grace Ford.

What are your current obsessions, fascinations or favourite things?

At the moment I’m really interested in pushing my work into more abstract directions, being bolder with my drawing and mark-making and exploring colour combinations. I’m also really enjoying iridescent and glittery paint – and I’m hoping to make more large-scale chalk pastel and mixed media drawings.

In terms of subject matter, I’ve found I’m really drawn to water reflections and the way light falls early in the morning or at the end of the day. I’ve taken some really nice pictures of the canal at night which I might paint – and a recurring motif in my work is the cow parsley when it starts appearing everywhere in spring.

My new years’ resolution is to start sketching outdoors, I’ve never really had the confidence to do it before, but when it’s a little warmer I plan to take my folding chair, sketchbooks and flask of tea out and about and get in the habit of outside working.

How was lockdown, artistically?  Did you find it a challenge, or was it a refreshing change?  Did you create any lockdown-inspired art?

If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I'm not sure I would be doing what I’m doing now. It really gave me the time and space I needed to get going. I’d class all my work as lock-down inspired but my first one in particular was lockdown themed. It is a painting of the morning light streaming through my curtains and of the shadows of my plants.

What was the first piece of art that moved you? What was it about it that grabbed You?

I think perhaps it was one of Lucien Freud’s self-portraits – I loved his work when I was at school. I think I liked looking at how he applied paint, more than the images themselves. I actually think I got into art more because I liked art materials; paint tubes, pencils, pastels... And Freud also seemed to love paint, and texture and colour.

Looking at his work again now, I can see that his brushstrokes and shapes in his work have influenced my markmaking. And recently I found out he also painted plants! There’s a show of his that I need to go and see at the Garden Museum before it ends in March!

What is your current favourite piece in your own body of work? Why does it hold a special place in your heart?

Although this was one of my early landscapes and painted very quickly, I really think it stands up. I’ve kept hold of this one and have it at home because it has all the qualities I want to keep in my work. Good shapes, bold colour and brushstrokes – and one quality that I struggle with – simplicity.

Do you have any advice for people just starting their art collection?

Trust your intuition, and buy what you love as they will be with you for a long time. Fill your home with pieces that bring you joy!

If you could choose three pieces of work from Artsnug to ‘snuggle up with’ which would they be?’

Where would you like the future to take you, as an artist?

A secluded countryside art studio with large glass walls and rose garden would be the dream! But as long as I have time to paint and opportunities to show my work, I'm very happy.

SHOP SARAH’S WORK