Background
Sarah Gooder is an artist living and working in Yorkshire, UK. Sarah works primarily in watercolour and ink. She is self-taught, having rediscovered drawing when she studied for an Architecture degree as a mature student.
Process
Working quickly allows a spontaneous and energetic response to the subject. Sarah works to preserve that initial sketch, those first marks that begin to define the subject.
She also likes to work with multiple, careful layers, that gradually build up tone and texture and really establish a connection with the subject, after many days of observation and painting.
Artist statement
Painting in watercolour allows me to find patterns and textures, layering and blending colours and shapes over eachother. I am also drawn to the line, the natural mark-making that happens as the hand responds to what the eye sees and particularly enjoy drawing in Indian Ink.
Dogs hold a huge fascination for me as a subject to paint. I enjoy the patterns of their coats, the landscapes of colour and form. I also enjoy painting people – finding a connection to a person through direct gaze is something I focus on. Inspiration also comes from the natural world, particularly the trees in the woods where I walk.
I like to work both carefully from observation and in a more intuitive way, allowing a drawing to flow from experiences or things happening in the world. It feels necessary for me to spend time working both ways. One encourages a deep appreciation of the subject through careful observation, whilst the other allows a more instinctive, emotional response. For my first few years of painting I felt that I should choose one way of working, but I’ve come to understand that I need both and that they inform each other.
I have several sketchbooks on the go, some open to all subjects, others dedicated to trees or abstract exploration. These act as visual diaries, places where I can work things out and make notes and also to keep hold of ideas for future paintings.
Exhibitions
2018 – Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2019 – Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Watercolour Competition, Bankside Gallery London; Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2020 -2021 – New Light Exhibition, Scarborough Art Gallery, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Carlisle, Biscuit Factory Newcastle, Bankside Gallery London
2021 – Group Exhibition ‘Cats and Dogs’, Gallery 68, Ulverston; Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2022 – Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2023 – Royal Institute Painters in Watercolour, Mall Galleries, London
2024 – The Dog House, Brighton
2024 – Bath Society of Artists Open, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath
2024 – ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London
2025 – Menagerie – Cartmel Ground Gallery, Cartmel
2025 – ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London. Critics Purchase Award
Please note that all copyright remains with the artist and images may be reproduced by the artist and sold as limited edition prints or other printed media.