Sarah Walker

Artist Interview

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

I predominantly work with atelier acrylics as the vibrant, synthetic colours of these paints compliment the vivid art works I create. I also like to paint with some traditional brush work techniques, and the 'rewetting' capability of atelier acrylics enables me to do that, yet with a quicker drying time than traditional oils.<br><br> I also incorporate elements of embroidery, wool work crochet, and collage into my paintings. This enables me to expand my creativity on the canvas, and utilise techniques from my other creative disciplines. I like to fuse different techniques and creative arts together to try something new.

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

Usually I start with an idea I'm wanting to tackle, or a concept. I often think through this part first. Then it can be as simple as a colour combination popping into my mind, and I symbolically build a fruit picture to represent that idea. I often sketch with coloured pencils to roughly work out object placement, colour palates, and any of the quirks I add in – what colour will the fruit be, do I want it from this angle next to one at another angle, and so on. I use that sketch as a rough guide to draw up the canvas. I often like to repaint over canvasses that I'm not happy with. I don't sand them back, I like to leave the textures from the previous painting to peek through the new painting. This shows the journey that pieces go through.<br><br> If I am working on an abstract, it is straight on the canvas with a feeling of mood, often painted to music, to capture a specific feel from that musical movement. The colour, and shapes become important then. If the music is large and grand, I will want large, grand, strong shapes. If the music is layered and nuanced, I will want many soft layers of strong colour that require closer more intimate viewing to fully appreciate the art – mirroring what the music makes me feel.

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

I have a mint coloured room in my house that doubles as my daughter's playroom. I paint at all times of day and night. It is north facing with beautiful natural light. I paint while she plays and move around between Sylvanian families, Lego, and Barbies, whilst trying not to step on any of them. Sometimes I have the luxury of painting on the couch with a smaller canvas on my lap, while I watch a movie. The movie needs to be a c grade background sort of movie. If it's actually a good one, I can't concentrate on painting.