About / Artist Statement

Sarah is an Artist and Printmaker based in Wigtown, SW Scotland. With over ten years experience as a gallery owner/curator, she now works from a small printmaking studio in the heart of the town. Sarah regularly opens her studio to the public for events and by appointment.

Drawing upon her experiences as an arts practitioner, curator, former Chair of Upland Arts Development CIC and more recently as a Learning Assistant, Sarah delivers a programme of workshops for all ages and abilities and offers business mentoring and advice for emerging artists.

An Artist and Printmaker, my work has been heavily influenced by my background in Digital Design. I find myself driven by the desire to create a piece of work that is graphically as well as visually pleasing. Having been introduced to printmaking at Edinburgh College of Art, it has remained my medium of choice. It is a process that lends itself well to strong visual design, whilst the physicalities involved in the creation of a piece of work make me more involved in the process than I was when using technologies.

My work is often described as ‘nostalgic’. Perhaps this is not surprising as it is heavily influenced by patterns and typography found within my environment and found objects. I am particularly inspired by packaging designs and ghost writings. Embracing the past, the thrown away and pre-loved I seek to create something fresh and contemporary, engaging with the modern viewer of my work and challenging their perception of these objects that they now take for granted. It is this sentimentality and fondness for the past that has influenced my work and life as an artist.

As I become increasingly concerned for our environment, I hope that my work can be used to challenge the “throw away” culture we have adopted, through finding the beauty in the fragility of these objects that were once treasured.

The following short films were created for Spring Fling Open Studios 2021. Each film shows part of the process used by Sarah in the creation of her handprinted, hardbound notebooks.