You may have seen the wonderful large wall art painting space on the corner of 142 Hamilton Road and Gainsborough Road. If you havent... where have you been dear?! 😁 We got in touch with the lovely Sarah Heather who will be painting the next wall art at 142 Gallery on Hamilton Road. Here's a bit about her artistic history…
Hi, I am Sarah Heather and I am so pleased to have been selected to paint the new WallArt for Felixstowe. I will be painting large scale on the wall from 31st August - 5th September, from 10am-4pm, live and in situ at Gallery 142. You can pop in to see me and chat about my intuitive painting method. I will have an Open Evening at 6-8pm on Thursday 31st August which you are all welcome to come to. Cards, prints and original paintings will be available to buy, as well as the pportunity to purchase the 3m square WallArt painting at the end of the project.
A bit about me...
I actually failed art at school - true story. My art teacher gave me a big fat 'F' and said my painting was 'childlike'. That's because he himself was an artist who specialised in hyper-realistic watercolour, so my naive style wasn't for him. Although I have since come to realise that there is nothing wrong at all with naive painting and there is a whole naive artist movement out there, but it took a while to 'find my people'... in fact, it took 40 years.
Since 2019, after trying almost every craft under the sun, I decided that I wanted to be a painter and honestly that's what I had always wanted to be. I bought a couple of books by artists that I admired and who painted in a similar style to me and began to show up for my painting practice everyday after work and weekends. Every spare minute I had, I was making art or thinking about art. My husband made me a small garden studio after I began to get too much paint on the house!
I have worked very hard - taken many online courses, had a tutor but mainly I am self-taught through experimentation, trusting my instincts and being brave with paint. It has been hard but joyful work but the real barrier was accepting that my style of painting, even when ridiculous, is as valid and as worthy as anyone else's out there. As artists, this can be tricky with waves of self-doubt popping up when you least need them, but I have come to learn that these feelings do pass, you just got hang in there and keep the faith.
I began to sell my work to fund more canvas and paint and I am now gallery represented, sell my art in local shows, open studios and this year was accepted to show (and sold) at the prestigious Bath Art Fair.
People can expect to be uplifted, to enjoy my messy and raw use of colour but to look closer and see something different you didn't see before, drawing them in for a closer look. Expect to smile, lift your mood and hopefully feel as much joy looking at my work as I have had creating it.
About the WallArt project:
The WallArt, on the outside (Gainsborough Road side) of the 142 Gallery is an 8ft square piece of art that changes every few months. There have been about 14 created to date. They are 'almost billboard' size means they can be enjoyed at a distance as you walk or drive along Hamilton Road. Each piece is an original artwork by a different artist - usually created in the gallery itself so that visitors to the gallery can enjoy watching it take shape. The 142 team, greatly appreciate the work the artists put into creating these huge pieces of art and, from the feedback they receive, they are very much enjoyed and eagerly anticipated by the people of Felixstowe. There is a notice board next to the WallArt which gives information about the artist and the artwork. These WallArts are usually offered for sale - choice of the artist.
Hope to see you,
Sarah
