Sarah Vivian - My work & cottage

My work & cottage

Sarah writes – “My painting is an expression of my love of the land here in West Penwith , my connection with the beauty and power of the landscape. Building up layers of paint is like feeling for the substance of visual reality, layer upon layer of depth from solid shadow through to refracted light and surface shine. Beyond that, I also try to express the magic or earth energy, the essence, or resonance of a place, a stone, a tree. I look for the symmetries & similarities of patterns, the inherent fractals of growth & movement, and emphasise these. For the paintings to have a strong visual, emotional & spiritual impact, I paint with meticulous detail & in a heightened and intensified manner.

I love the qualities of oil paint, which enable me to build up complex layers of colour and texture, combining classic technical methods of “thin to fat & dark to light”, with Pre-Raphaelite painting techniques of layers of thin translucent glazes on a brilliant white ground.

My studio is perfect, as it is light and bright, with a view directly west over the sea; on a clear day I can see the Isles of Scilly, and I have a ringside view of all our wonderful sunsets. My garden is also perfect; a quiet little sanctuary with goldfish and waterfall. And Moth cat - purrfect too of course.”