15th October 2022 - 18th November 2022

Sarah Woods - Land and Sea Collection

Sarah’s work responds to the West Cornwall landscape where she lives and works, through a simplicity of colour and mark that is becoming her hallmark. This new collection was created over the summer of 2022 and captures the soft warmth and beauty of the coast at this time of year. A series of studies follows the shifting atmosphere and shapes of the coast through the season, out of spring and towards autumn, in a palette of Prussian Blue seas and skies and the Umber of coastal earth. Cornwall’s soft summer breeze and the gentle flow of the tide inspire her simple way of working and easy brushstrokes. As always her focus is on the calming process of painting, resulting in tranquil works defined by purity of form and tone.



“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. These 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


SEE THE ONLINE PUBLICATION HERE