Fix Her Crown, Bande Verte, and Breakfast on Sunday
Sarah Smith
Acrylic on Canvas and Print
Fix Her Crown
“When she feels crumpled around the edges and she’s lost something from her pocket. Fix her Crown. When all her blues merge into a Cerulean sea and her little boat feels like it’s taking on water. Fix her Crown”
This piece arrived whilst thinking about the importance of helping others feel their best. It’s painted with acrylics and explores the relationship between the natural world and our place within it and the importance of recognising our own space within that. The small ladders stretching up from the forest floor with guardians helping to tend and ‘fix her crown’ symbolise the way that a small deed can mean the most.
Bande Verte, (meaning green stripe)
Now I see that to bloom is a possibility.
Breakfast on Sunday
It was Sunday morning and the sound of birdsong danced through the air as the blooms swayed in a light breeze. A fresh pot of coffee was poured as they feasted, commenting on what a lovely day it would be. This was painted in several stages and as such has several layers. I wanted to incorporate the dreaminess you get from a bright sunny morning where there’s nothing to do, but enjoy the moment with breakfast on the way and the light streaming through the kitchen. It was inspired by my own kitchen and the sight of Spring blooms awakening from their winter sleep.
You'll notice a love of flora, fauna and pattern within my work often referring directly to plants, flowers and colours that borrow directly from the natural world. Bloom, personally is a word I had given myself during my recovery so it feels rather apt to be here making work that started from the seed of an idea and a physical place of distress. My work reflects a changing hedgerow, as we undertake the shaping of a farm, from traditional farming to regenerative agriculture and celebrates recovery in all its forms.
Bloom within my artwork means the following:
Bolt the door, shut the world out for a little while and hibernate.
Hibernation conserves energy, allows the body and mind to slow down and ultimately enables survival in the harshest of winters.
I found my own Spring, in my own time and now I bloom. We cannot bloom all the time, but we can have the hope that our own seedlings will germinate and flower.
Sarah Smith
Website: thedartmoorartist.co.uk
Instagram: @thedartmoorartist
My name is Sarah Smith, female founder of an independent sustainable art & hand painted homewares business called The Dartmoor Artist I live and work on a Dartmoor farm, in Devon, UK, with my husband, two children, a herd of Devon ruby cattle and a mad sprollie dog called Coco.
I'm a plant loving, colour obsessed human, who's built an independent art business from the living room floor up. Literally. I sneezed in bed one morning in 2016, prolapsed the discs in my lower spine & taught myself to paint during my recovery from spinal surgery. I mean, if you're going to do things in style, do it in style right?!
I physically spent a year on the floor and when my mental health joined it, I discovered painting during my recovery from surgery.
Thankfully art has changed my life and I now celebrate a small business which supports me and my family. The business was recognised last year as one of the UK's Top 100 Small Businesses for Small Business Britain at the House of Lords. In addition to this I celebrated being chosen as one of the UK's top 100 Female Founders. Something I'm very proud of - it's been a 'from the ground up' story (literally!)
I work from a converted old farm Granary in addition to helping our family regenerate the farm to be as sustainable as possible. Future proofing what happens to be a rather beautiful idyllic spot of English countryside. My work is a celebration of what blooms with each turning of the seasons.