Striking in their purity of form and colour, West Cornwall-based artist Sarah Woods’ tranquil paintings of her local coastline are anchored in a deep connection to land and sea – making them a natural fit for our new illustrated land&water gift sets.
Reflecting on the synergies between Sarah’s creative approach and the land&water ethos, we asked her about the inspiration behind the chosen painting for our collaboration – along with six other favourite pieces from her portfolio.
‘Soft’ isn’t the first word that springs to mind when describing the Atlantic Ocean. Yet it's a quality that Sarah Woods, the artist behind our new illustrated gift sets, conveys so poetically in her serene paintings of the Cornish coastline. "My paintings capture a feeling of softness from the ocean and the grounding forms of the landscape," she says.
Through meditative sweeps of paint in a considered palette of gentle hues – pale blues, pebble greys, putty browns, chalky whites – Sarah envelops the viewer in scenes of moving tides, endless horizons and wide skies. Some are bathed in the bluish light of a spring dawn, others feel reminiscent of mellow autumn afternoons.
“I work tonally with colours that resonate with quieter moments along the coast,” explains Sarah. “The richness and warmth from mid-summer and the elemental light and cooler tones of cerulean and Prussian blue encapsulate a feeling of the changing landscape and seasons.”
As an artist, in her own words, “endlessly drawn to the textures and tactility of the land and the ocean,” Sarah’s collaboration with land&water was a natural fit. “We talk a lot at land&water about the sweet spot of exhilaration and calm, movement and stillness and how it all rests in the balance. The resonance of Sarah’s work with this idea is really captivating,” says land&water founder Pix Ashworth.
When she isn’t working in her Newlyn studio, Sarah spends her time in – and by – the ocean, pouring this elemental inspiration and appreciation of the shoreline onto her canvases.
With her painting, Morning Hues, St Ives, bringing five new land&water gift boxes to life, we asked Sarah to introduce her favourite pieces from her portfolio:
1. Morning Hues, St Ives
"This is the piece we chose for my collaboration with land&water. It captures a gentle ocean with the subtlest palette of light blue and alabaster. This is a simple and meditative piece drawn from the calm of a moving tide, and I feel this resonates so perfectly with land&water for a feeling of balance and connection gathered from the coastline."
2. Looking Across the Sea Towards Sennen
"A large-scale painting following movement at the edge of the land."
3. Autumn Hues Along the North Coast
"An observation of light and form, creating an abstract feeling of space with bright hues of cerulean blue."
4. Bright Hues from Helford
"This painting holds a very subtle light – the land is grounding and reflects a stillness from the landscape beside the Helford River."
5. A Study Looking West
"An example of feeling grounded by the forms of the land. This piece is inspired by light across the movement of the tide."
6. Blue Hues, Porthminster
"A familiar landscape from St. Ives that I’m endlessly drawn to. I could revisit this landscape and paint it continuously and it will hold something different every time."
7. Looking Across the Sea, St Ives
"A bright and elemental piece. Each mark of my brush slowly forms movement in the sky and my palette creates softness."
