BIO: Sarah Papworth

I was born and raised in Surrey, where rows of semi-detached houses provided the backdrop to my childhood. While climbing trees in the garden, and the local woodlands, I found joy and solace in the natural world. Thirteen years ago, after living in London, we moved to a barn along the North Cotswolds border. Nestled in the village of Honeybourne, it became a slower pace of life for us. I now garden alongside my artistic work; I understand that I am more inspired when I spend time outside.

“I embaRked on a career as a Homeware Designer”

My love of art during school years led me to Winchester School of Art. It was during my foundation year that I made a pivotal decision, changing from Fine Art to Textile Design. I found myself not quite prepared for the seemingly vulnerable world of fine art at the age of 18; I preferred creating in the solitude of my home, where I could truly be present with my work.
After achieving a First Class Honors degree in Printed Textiles, I became a Homeware Designer in the heart of London.

Freelancing was a dream of mine and it made sense to make the move to the West Midlands at the same time. I began to receive more illustration projects and a defining moment in my career was co-winning the Global Talent Search competition with Lilla Rogers’ Agency. This enabled me to collaborate with clients such as The Washington Post, Harper Collins, and Simon & Schuster. I was also proud to be shortlisted twice for the World Illustration Awards in 2020.
With newfound freedom in my schedule, I reignited my exploration of fine art, this time at my own unhurried pace paying attention to my body and what I needed in the moment.

“the result always surprises me….”

My connection to nature plays a central role in my artistic process, fostered through long walks, and invigorating wild swims. Nature’s influence often infiltrates my work on a subconscious level. I work intuitively on original paintings, while planning is often needed for illustrations. I enjoy the two ways of working, they balance and fuel each other.

Working abstractly I need to be fully present; looking and building layers, textures and shapes, sometimes destroying then building again. They aren’t just layers of paint but layers of emotions and thoughts. Sometimes I work in oils and often add in mixed media for texture and line details, more often I use acrylics and I like the faster drying time. A pictorial element may start to show, and I will go with that if it feels right to me.
With my illustration work making a planned sketch puts me in a more meditative frame of mind as I can relax into colours and textures of creating the final work. I enjoy working digitally, I mix in hand-painted icons, textures and line-work.

My motivation is the creative journey and my interest lies in how I connect to my thoughts and emotions while creating and how that in turn connects with my audience. In a world where there is so much rushing, I have allowed myself the gift of space to create my personal work. The result always surprises me by how much it mirrors who I am.

CLIENTS INCLUDE:  

The Washington Post, Harper Collins, Scholastic UK Publishing, Quarto Publishing Group UK, Simon & Schuster, MADE.com,  L'Oreal Paris, George at Home ASDA, Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, Debenhams,  The White Company, Workman Publishing, American Greetings, Mollie Makes magazine, Martine Rothblatt, among others.   

Margo Tantau is Sarah’s Illustration agent, based in the USA. Please contact Sarah or Tantau Studio if you would like her to work with you on any illustration or surface design projects. . Contact Sarah: sarah@sarahpapworth.com

Sarah has an online art course, available for beginners and intermediate levels, called the Hermit Art Club. It’s available here on: Podia.com.

Sign up to Sarah’s email newsletter to receive updates about her paintings, courses and new work. She sends out her newsletter once a month.

WEBINART

Click below to go to the Webinart video with Sarah and her previous agent Lilla Rogers (68 mins)

PRESS

Below is a selection of magazine features and product mentions. Artists & Illustrators magazine, WGSN, Country Homes & Interiors, Trend Bible interior trend forecasting, Tuinieren magazine, Folksy, Craftsy magazine, Fabulous magazine, and Good Homes.

In addition to the below, my past in-house Homeware designs have appeared in: House Beautiful, Country Homes & Interiors, Homes & Gardens, Simple Things, Living Etc, The Sunday Mirror ‘Homes’ magazine, Good Housekeeping, Ideal Home, Prima, Best magazine, and Good Homes magazine.