About

'Sarah's work has always been character driven and combines traditional portraiture with narrative. The haunting, romantic women of her Gothic paintings are often famous literary figures including Ophelia and Mary Shelley or fairy tale archetypes such as the Wicked Witch or the Damsel-in-Distress.

Sarah's characters are immediately dazzling in their power and beauty, but on closer inspection reveal hands rubbed raw, flushed complexions and above all else, unnerving expressions. Set against stark, yet luminous backgrounds, the focus of each work is firmly on the character, and the depth and complexity of emotions barely contained behind their gaze.

Sarah works patiently, building up the graceful lines of thin necks and arms, the folds of garments and the subtle pallor of skin in layers of fine detail. For Sarah, giving time to the paintings allows their emotive qualities to slowly emerge in the midst of their atmospheric palettes, creating works that are as personal and as resonant as diary entries.' [text Orexart Gallery]

I am a New Zealand artist whose work explores mythology, femininity, and the power of narrative through contemporary figurative painting. My practice has been shaped by a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Otago, 12 years working across animation, creative direction, and design at Animation Research Ltd, and formative years travelling through Southeast Asia and Europe, where I developed a deep appreciation for cultural narratives and symbolism.

In 2012, I established my full-time painting practice with my debut solo exhibition, *Spindle*, at Orexart in Auckland. Inspired by the original fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, the exhibition explored archetypes, mythology, and storytelling through large-scale figurative works.

Since then, I have exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Orexart (Auckland), The Artist’s Room (Dunedin), Beinart Gallery (Melbourne), Roq La Rue (Seattle), Corey Helford Gallery (Los Angeles), and in New York as part of an all-female exhibition presented through a collaboration between Astrolabe Contemporary Art Gallery and El Silencio Nature Reserve and Research Station.

My practice explores mythology, memory, identity, and the complexities of womanhood. Through richly symbolic works, I examine themes of femininity, transformation, resilience, and belonging, creating contemporary mythologies that invite reflection on the stories we inherit and the ones we choose to tell.

HighTea

2023, oil on linen

2024 Work in progress image. This is a small section of a new piece that will be shown in Auckland at the end of the year. Here I am laying objects from my studio directly onto the canvas to resolve composition and concepts.