Acrylic Painting

Sarah Furzer

Sarah’s work has evolved from her curiosity for this intrinsic need, that everyone shares, for a human connection.

Artist Profile

Sarah Furzer is an artist and Mother living on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria.

Sarah graduated from Monash University with a degree in Bachelor of Design, Visual Communication. Sarah went on to work in a renowned design studio, while nurturing her passion for illustration and image making.

Since becoming a Mother, Sarah has continued to work in design but her passion for art was reignited during her time in lockdown, spending afternoons with her daughter making art. Sarah has started gradually moving away from the screen to focus more on her art practice, and now spends every spare moment in her home studio.

Sarah’s artist process usually begins with blues or rock’n’roll music filling the studio and playing with paper collage or drawing in her sketchbook. The designs are then transferred to the computer so Sarah can manipulate the colours and composition. Through her playful exploration of the cut up shapes and colours, Sarah reveals a series of intimate moments and shared interactions between these faceless figures.

Artist Interview

What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?

I prefer to work with acrylics, especially High Flow and Fluid Golden acrylics. I find these paints retain their brightness and the ink-like consistency is so versatile, allowing me to experiment with various applications on both canvas and art boards.

How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?

The initial concepts always start in my sketchbooks. I’ve always loved collage, the randomness of shapes, hard edges, and layering. I find playing with cut paper and gouache over quick line work allows me to relax and warm up. Once I'm happy with the concepts, I often take these works to the computer and continue to play around with the shapes and different colour combinations before I begin the final piece.

Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?

I work from my home studio on the Bellarine Peninsula. It is a bright, north facing sunny room that is filled with lots of trinkets that bring me joy and inspiration. Music is always playing and my dog is never far from my feet. Being close to the beach, I venture out for walks most days as it helps me to relax, conceptualise and reflect on my own memories, whilst also finding inspiration from my coastal surroundings. Once I'm back in the studio, I pop the kettle on and begin making and creating with whatever time I have before the school day ends.