Make Happy Art

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I am Sarah, I have always been a creative person ever since I can remember but it has only been recently that I have started painting regularly and developing my own creative practice. For me, it’s all about the energy in the marks I make, and the feeling that it evokes for the viewer. I am not aiming for perfect, I am aiming for a feeling of excitement, happiness and aliveness. Art is fun, a reflection of my happy uplifting smile in colour on the canvas, as I discover my authentic self through the art that I create.

I was raised in the countryside of rural Suffolk and live and paint in The Fens in my garden studio. For now, I call this place home and with views as far as the eye can see, and breathtakingly big skies and sunsets, the countryside has a huge influence on my work.

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Inspiration can be found in many places, from my own ideas, my pets, my surroundings or even just random things that excite me. Whether it’s walking in my local area at home in The Fens, taking inspiration from the garden for my big, bold florals, or in my happy places on the Devon coast with its moody skies, dramatic cliffs, and sandy beaches or in my little French cottage in the Mayenne with its leafy woods, rolling hills and many dairy farms. My artistic mind is constantly storing memories waiting to be brought back to life, in creative bold pieces featuring sweeping sands, playing dogs, and ridiculous seagulls.

My non-traditional techniques allow me to experiment with colour and form, allowing myself to be raw and messy in my exploration and experiments. By letting go of the perception of what I was told good art to be, I have allowed my own authentic style to flourish by having fun as I paint. Some artists are about light and perspective but for me, my work is about colour relationships, different tones to create depth and most importantly to generate emotions for the viewer.

My pieces start with what I like to call the ‘chaos layer’ which usually is made up from using left over paint, and from here it’s just a case of being bold. Resisting the desire to be perfect, accepting that my brushstrokes show my unique style, and enjoying the messy artistic process, as I explore a joyful riot of colour on the canvas. I remind myself that there are no mistakes in my art only happy accidents, that perfect art is subjective, and is merely the opinion of others. This helps me in my artistic process. I have realised that becoming an artist is as much about my mind set, and my self-confidence as the art I create itself.

Every time I feel that I have found my style, it evolves and reveals further facets of my capabilities and creative flair. Life shapes my art, and through my ‘show up and just paint’ attitude and my determination to paint like no one is watching I have learned that ‘my style’ is reflected in anything created by me.

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The work I have already made, and what is waiting to be unleashed by my desire to be daring, is my artistic style in its entirety. This can be confusing when explaining my style or creating a consistent body of work but for me constant exploration, a desire to move forward, and experimentation is a necessity, not an option.

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If I had to summarise my style, then it is colour, enlightened by texture and my own brand of mark making on the canvas, from the chaos layer to the finish. Ultimately I hope that I bring joy to anyone who sees my work, and if I must define my aim in creating, it would be to bring a carnival of colour to life.

Galleries and Exhibitions

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Shortlisted by SAA Artist of the Year 2022

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2022 Reading Room Gallery - Houghton, Cambridgeshire

2022 Art in East Anglia Gallery – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

2022 Artworks At The Town Hall Gallery – Hunstanton, Norfolk

2022 Babylon Gallery Summer Exhibition – Ely, Cambridgeshire

2022 West Acre Gallery Autumn Exhibition - West Acre, Norfolk

2022 West Acre Gallery Spring Exhibition – West Acre, Norfolk.

2021 Fermoy Gallery – Kings Lynn, Norfolk (group exhibition)

2021 St Nicholas Chapel – Kings Lynn, Norfolk (group exhibition)

2021 Naked Norfolk – The Old Coal Shed Gallery – Hunstanton, Norfolk

2021 Artists Open Studios - Peterborough

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