The Paintings of Sarah Hope
We haven’t had a chance to talk properly and Sarah Hope is just about to embark on a new project which she promises she will tell us all about soon. Meanwhile, I have filched a little bit of information on this talented artist from her web page and am sharing some fab images with you.
Sarah says: “As a student of fine art, I have always had art in the background of my life. Like many women artists, my creativity was for some years directed into bringing up a family. Twelve years ago and 25 years after leaving art college, I rediscovered the pleasure of painting. Getting older and facing up to the fragility of human existence has motivated me to commit to my artwork with a dedication I find exhilarating.
“I have become fascinated by portraiture. Portraits can reveal so much about the complexity of a person and their life story. Looking at portraits reminds me that what bonds us as human beings is our capacity to empathise with each other.
“I am not concerned with representing a surface likeness, but I want something deeper about the person to be present in the painting. My compositions are constructed very carefully, placing elements into the painting that suggest a narrative. I like to focus in and go “close up”, getting to the essential.
“I take pleasure in and am obsessed with detail. I enjoy devoting hours to accurately capturing what is just one second in time. In capturing that moment there is an intimacy. It could be gleeful, sad, serious, peaceful, tender… but it is about sharing the intensity of that moment.
“My paintings invite the viewer to participate in that moment too and to empathise with the feeling the painting evokes in them.”
Can’t wait to meet up and find out more Sarah. Meanwhile, if you want to contact Sarah yourself, the details are below:
Y Gorlan, Lower Saint Mary Street, Newport, Pembrokeshire
Tel: 01239 820469. Email: info@artist-sarah-hope.co.uk
