NAPA title

Sara C. Lee

Harwell, United Kingdom

Though I never limit myself when it comes to subject matter, at the moment, amongst the pieces I am working on are some inspired by the human form and others depicting wildlife. I have worked in a variety of media but, from preference, I predominantly use acrylics for both painting and printing. Their versatility allows me to produce both highly detailed and looser works as well as encouraging experimentation. In addition to the qualities of purity and brightness that acrylic colour possesses, I greatly value the rapidity with which the medium dries as it allows a work to continuously evolve uninterrupted. I mainly use Daler-Rowney and Liquitex Acrylics on board, paper as well as vellum and I have recently been trying out Daler-Rowney Acrylic Gesso Primer.
My work has been shown in exhibitions throughout Britain including those of NAPA, SWA, RMS, SWLA, YWASI, MIWAS, The Hilliard Society and the BP Portrait Award. Most of my work draws upon the rich panoply of the human and animal form. My preferred medium is acrylic for the purity and brightness of its colours as well as the wide variety of ways it can be handled and the diversity of surfaces on which it can be used. Recently I have taken Inspiration from banners and ecclesiastical wall hangings, with their harmonious designs made up of simplified images, to create pieces where I have taken subjects and broken them down to their basic elements of shape and pattern. The resultant paintings are designed to capture the intrinsic essence of whatever is depicted; that certain 'je ne sais quoi' that is the key to a subject and, when rendered, gives the image a greater immediacy and impact than a more detailed portrayal.
ABOUT MY PAINTING ON EXHIBITION IN LIVERPOOL:-
'Puffins', the painting included in this exhibition is the latest in a series depicting sea birds all of which have taken their initial inspiration for their design from banners and ecclesiastical wall hangings, where harmonious images are created from simplified forms. For 'Puffins' I studied the birds and broke down their images into quintessential elements of shape and pattern to create depictions of puffins that capture their intrinsic essence. In paring down the birds to a more fundamental form I believe the resulting painting has a greater immediacy and impact than a more detailed portrayal.

Works Exhibited

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