Sarah Russell is a printmaker and painter, drawing inspiration from the landscape. Working from her studios in Bedfordshire, she gives expression to thoughts and feelings that unearth themselves, often whilst drawing en plein air. She fills up her brain with shapes and feelings so that she can unpack them later in the studio. She likes to work outdoors often alongside other artists. She finds the space allows her to be open to the thoughts and shapes which she later uses in her studio. A favourite place is College Lake, Tring as the bird hides mean she can work in all weathers. Her work is usually abstract.
She finds the immediacy and spontaneity of monotype particularly rewarding, with one-off prints that lend themselves to painterly and intuitive mark-making. For her, it’s the most exciting medium. She loves the constant tension between the solid and the translucent, the fixed and the fluid, the intellectual and the emotional. This interest also lends itself well towards collage and paint.
She also believes in the importance of drawing in her method. Even non-figurative art benefits from a solid grasp of an all too often overlooked aspect of the creative process. To her, the sketchbook is where you find the artist’s most honest response. She is a member of the Buckinghamshire Craft Guild and the Printmakers Council.
