Movement is a key element of my work. I see and have always been inspired by the way that we use our bodies to move when we draw, as well as the movement in life: the sun moving across the sky then sinking, the moon arising, the routes we walk on a daily basis, how the trees change colour through seasons, the star constellations. Everything is connected and always moving forward.
I think once you can draw a human figure in proportion you can draw anything. I learnt this in my early life drawing practice. When I was studying in Australia I visited (well, snuck into!) a ballet rehearsal at the Sydney Opera House with my friend who had paid to join. The idea of drawing moving dancers in a live musical setting was a fascinating study in line drawing. I did get kicked out after 20 minutes but from then I was obsessed with drawing dancers; I drew them in a continuous line and I drew them blind by not looking at the page because I felt the need to create an image where you couldn’t see the subject itself, but the essence of it.
Art is a language. University was a period of trying to understand my way of talking to the world through my work. A key moment for me was walking through Gloucester Cathedral (when I was studying my Fine Art degree at Cheltenham) and seeing the light through the windows almost dancing on the floor. One room was filled with blue stained glass, it was a meditation room and very peaceful, I loved how this showed the effects of light, rather than the light itself. To me this idea linked with so many things in art, such as art being a language other than words or art being a way to evoke emotion through pure colour like Yves Klein’s Deep Blue.
Much younger and very shy, I was thrilled to have the chance to study in Auckland, New Zealand during my degree. It was a place to just be free, explore ideas and with no pressure to find a polished ending. I had a studio space which was a wooden cabin with steps leading down to a grassy area where there was always someone making ‘sausage sizzlers’. It was a very raw and rustic environment and I was surrounded by nature with interesting, inspiring teachers and characters all around me. I spent many days exploring the towns and cities with a good friend. One thing that really inspired me was all the old book shops filled with wonderful musty yellow books, crinkled and old, art in their own right and I felt that they held history - not only in their stories but the pages of who would have held them. I was journaling a lot at the time and I thought I could express this using layering canvas which I would dye in a bowl by hand and rinse it out, having blue hands for days! Of course, I saw many tribal arts of the Maori’s telling stories in their work expressing their spiritual sides too. I became interested in the process of dying fabrics, cutting into them and layering them.
I would say my work is an exploration, I am trying to find something. It’s a bit like being in a relationship, like trying to find the gold under the rainbow, but I know it exists. I have realised more recently my interest lies in how I can make paintings in the form of a drawing or even more sculptural. Cy Twombly is one of my favourite artists, his paintings are energetic and childlike in expression yet sophisticated and slightly dreamy in their poetic sense; dynamic in terms of being a painting and a drawing. I find Tracey Emin interesting in terms of her character, I have seen videos of how she paints and it seems to be a very emotional experience for her, the way she slams paint at the canvas and then paints linear figurative lines over it. She's a woman who isn’t afraid to perform her deepest feelings and take risks, and that’s what’s inspiring.
After graduating I volunteered at the Tate St Ives children’s art workshops for a period of time. I also did an internship in Graphic Studio Dublin which had a beautiful printmaking studio. To earn an income I slipped into luxury hospitality and wedding curation back in Australia and found it difficult to find time as well as be in the right mindset to create. I think, for creative people, working all the time in jobs which are not creative, can make them heavy and also guilty when they can’t pursue creative goals. Here in the UK, we are so lucky to have an education. To learn professionally is a privilege many other countries don’t have. I have recently completed my PGCE in secondary and A-Level art; seeing others grow and develop in their work is extremely rewarding.
Creativity can be found in every part of every day, it’s about creating something, such as planting seeds and making flowers grow or pulling colours together in a room. I have always made time for episodes where I can create, even if it’s just scribbling with an ink and dip pen or reading about artists’ lives. I think it’s really important to have a community, or keep in touch with other creative and authentic people who understand your goals and who you can trust for advice. It’s crucial we continue to innovate and create, it’s a part of human nature.
See Sara's work in Aphrodite, North Cornwall | www.instagram.com/_sarareedartist |www.sarareedartist.com.
Photography by Olly Reed.
