I was lucky enough to be selected by Shocaseme as their feature artist of the week. Here’s the article they published:
Sara Paxton
Sara was born in the UK and grew up in an artistic and creative family environment. She chose painting as her medium and moved to Sydney in her early twenties.
Sara continued to study and develop her unique style and now draws inspiration from the extremes offered by Victoria’s natural beauty. She now resides on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Sara’s vibrant treatment of subject matter using vivid colour and contemporary form give her paintings a unique expressive style.
Sara has developed a strong Australian following through her solo and shared exhibitions and shows and is developing an international following with increasing interest from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Shocaseme Interview with Artist Sara Paxton:
Who Is Sara Paxton?
I was born in the UK and moved to Australia when I was 24.
When did you become interested in art?
I have been interested in art all my life but only returned to it with any seriousness about 12 years ago. I subsequently started selling my work about 8 years ago and now have a number of galleries throughout Australia that represent me.
Are you self-taught or did you have any formal training? If so where did you study?
I don’t have any formal training in art.
How would you describe your work?
I work mostly in oils, normally on large stretched canvasses, and the work could best be described as contemporary impressionistic with the emphasis being colour.
Please tell us about your technique and what is your preference in materials.
Techniques vary – sometimes I use the oil paints thickly, applied with large brushes, palette knives or rubber spatulas; but I also dilute the paint and apply it in washes, much like watercolour. This gives a more translucent, lighter feel to the paintings.
What do you enjoy most about working in this medium?
I love the versatility of oil paint. I think it provides the depth and strength of colour that other mediums don’t achieve so well.
What challenges have you found in your work?
The main challenge is finding the time to paint everything I want to paint. Deadlines for exhibitions are always a challenge.
Do you choose your subjects or do they choose you?
I definitely choose my subjects. I take a lot of photographs and often use them as a starting point for a painting although they don’t often end up looking much like the photo – the painting develops a life of its own as it progresses.
How does your location or environment affect your work?
I work from my studio at home which allows me great flexibility. It’s a space that I love, surrounded (rather untidily) by all the painting materials and many books.
Who have been some of your main influences as an artist?
There have been many influences over the years but I particularly admire the work of Fred Williams.
What is your greatest ambition as an artist?
Probably my greatest ambition as an artist would be to have the opportunity to one day have an exhibition in New York!
Tell us about your upcoming projects, activities, shows, events exhibitions.
My current project is a solo exhibition at Without Pier Gallery www.withoutpeirgallery.com in Melbourne, which runs until May 15. This is the culmination of many months painting producing 30 paintings in total. There are two more exhibitions coming up later in the year, plus some painting demonstrations.
What advice would you give a young artist just starting and wondering where to begin.
The best advice I could give an artist starting out is to just paint – every day, because the more you paint the more you experiment, the more you challenge yourself and the better you get. And don’t go and buy every paint colour available – mixing the colours yourself is half the fun.
