Sarah Woods

“The changing seasons beside the ocean, and hues of sea and sky, inspire my simple paintings in the studio. The coast brings focus, and learning to lose all sense of time. To me, the process of working by hand is meditative and encourages a flow state in the studio. My thoughts move at a slower pace and I’m in focus with my movements. I move my brush simply with soft colours mixed for each palette, following the shapes of the coastline. Beginning a painting is methodical, as I work with canvas and linen to create something tactile and durable. I’ve learned to follow a rhythm that feels connected to the land and sea whilst working in the studio. It’s a calm space for mixing palettes and visualising the landscape - shades of Umber for land, Naples Yellow becomes an earthy sand, and hues of Prussian Blue for sea and sky.This collection is formed from smaller drawings, with tone and composition in mind, taking time on the coast to observe simple shapes and familiar curves of headland along the west coast. Each painting is slowly made and captures moments from a warm summer landscape, the gentle waves in St Ives and the cliffs from Porthcurno. The simplest elements of paint and canvas come together to form the land and sea. My paintings follow the coast through the seasons, noticing the warmer hues of the sea, the softness of cliffs, the bright colours that hold light from the landscape, and time spent gathering inspiration from the coast to the studio”. Sarah Woods, 2022