Sarah was born in Edinburgh in 1977.

She studied at Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburgh; MA(Hons) Fine Art, 1994 - 1999


Graduating in 1999 with a sell-out degree show, Sarah began her career as a self-employed artist based in Edinburgh. Her work focuses on the Scottish coastline, a passion she has had since childhood holidays on the west coast and sailing excursions around the Hebrides. Through her paintings, the viewer is enveloped by the vastness of the sea and sky. Depth and distance are constant features in her work. Most of the paintings are created in the studio from photographs and sketches executed on-the-spot, at the beach. She uses household emulsion, oil, ink, sand and chalk to create a variety of surfaces and to describe the different textures found at the sea-shore and the mood and weather of the place. For Sarah, the sea remains a constant inspiration for her work.

She now lives on the north coast of Northern Ireland, with her husband and three children, where the rugged coastline is equally inspiring to that of her homeland of Scotland. She exhibits widely throughout the UK.

"As an artist I find myself regularly inspired by coastline, weather and landscape. The land and sky are continually changing; it is always different, never the same. The light and weather evolve constantly, describing and shaping the landscape and its appearance.

I regularly visit local beaches, as well as further afield, where I take photographs, sketch and take notes, to record the experience. I gather this research of the beach visit and return to the studio to paint.

Using household emulsion, inks and acrylics I start to describe the drama of the view, and the shape of the clouds and the land. I initially apply the paint in layers using various brushes both wet and dry, forming the land in more detail, and by using chalks, pen and pencil over and within the wet paint.

With paint markers and thick paint, I highlight waves and sea foam. After some time, I apply oil-based layers, using thinned oil paint and painting resin. I continue with mark-making, using pen, pencil and chalk, describing areas of the land, sea, spume and the direction of the rain falling in the sky.

Finally, I apply some real gold leaf to the areas I want to highlight, to describe where the sunlight touches the land and sea".

Public collections include:

Paintings in Hospitals, Scotland
The Scottish Investment Trust
Royal Bank of Scotland
The University of Cambridge
Causeway Coast and Glens Council
Causeway Hospital, Coleraine