Sarah Vivian

My painting is an expression of my love of the land here in West Penwith, a connection with the beauty and power of the landscape. The paintings are in oil paint on board or canvas, and are realistic & representational landscapes of West Cornwall, but not in an entirely photographic way; they are hyper-real, or more than real.

About the Artist

Cornish Landscape and Seascape Artist Sarah Vivian; oil paintings, high quality A3, A4 and A5 prints, plus cards.

Sarah writes – “My painting is an expression of my love of the land here in West Penwith, a connection with the beauty and power of the landscape. The paintings are in oil paint on board or canvas, and are realistic & representational landscapes of West Cornwall, but not in an entirely photographic way; they are hyper-real, or more than real. I 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.”

“I look for the glimpses of the Animate Landscape – the Genius Loci, Spirits of the Land, or personality of a place, and try to create images to show these to others. Often this animate landscape shows itself in faces and forms which remind us of human features, which personalizes it and gives us more connection to it, so many of my paintings have rocks or trees with faces, or have shapes which are like people or creatures. But whether I am painting smiley rocks, ancient sites or beautiful sunsets, it is all manifestations of the Divine in the landscape, and is about the Soul’s response to beauty.”

“For the paintings to have a strong visual & emotional impact, I paint with great 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.”

Sarah took an Honours Degree in Education in 1975, with art and craft as the main subjects, and followed the craft avenue professionally. She set up a craft business in 1977, and for over ten years she was a handloom weaver and tailoress in a craft centre in Devon. She moved to her own textile gallery in 1988 and diversified her work, producing a wide range of items in painted silk, printed fabrics, batik, embroidery and appliqué, and especially patchwork. The gallery also sold the work of over 150 craftspeople, and held exhibitions. From 1982 to 1990 Sarah was a Council Member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, and during this time served on various craft committees, and the local Chamber of Commerce. Her gallery in Devon was sold in 1994, and she moved to West Penwith in 1996. Sarah has now been painting full time since 1998.

Original paintings and prints are shown at The Little Picture Gallery, Mill Lane, Mousehole; The Picture Parlour, Bridge Walk, Boscastle; Windswept, Fore Street, St Just; Know Thyself, St Georges Arcade, Falmouth; The Lamorna Pottery Gallery, Lamorna, Galllery 38, Wharfside, St Ives.

Prints and cards are also shown in about 20 other outlets mainly in the South West. Most recent paintings have been done to commission; please contact Sarah using the form on the right for more details.

Currently 51 cards and 130 prints of Sarah’s paintings, in three different sizes, are available through her website www.sarahvivian.com

Contact the Artist

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