Get to know new artist Sarah Lugton. Currently living in Melbourne, Sarah is a self taught painter who has always drawn, painted, and made things with her hands. Her work has just flown onto our walls this year, and with vibrant colour, luscious brushstrokes and an intuitive flow, we can wait to bring them to yours!
We asked Sarah some questions to get to know her and her practice better, so check out her answers here...
How would you explain your artistic style and approach to someone unfamiliar with your work?
My style is big gestural brushstrokes with embodied energy. I’m obsessed with colour and how its value and composition can convey and evoke emotion. I often like to use different textures and layers to create depth and movement.
Do you follow a structured creative process, or is it more intuitive?
I do have structure to my process that I follow but the creation of the work is intuitive. When I’m creating a new body of work I have developed a way of working that allows me to create the work. I do not plan what my paintings will look like; the act of paint onto canvas is intuitive.
How has your work evolved over time?
My work continues to evolve as I evolve as an artist and as a person. I’m continually inspired to try new things and ways of expressing myself and how I see the world.
What role does colour play in your work?
Colour is everything. Colour is emotive and helps connect us in a shared experience of what it means to be human.
How do you want people to feel when they view your art?
I generally don’t have preconceived ideas of what I want an audience to feel when they view my work. Their response is entirely their own. I simply express how I am feeling and hope that they can connect to it through their own understanding of their own life experiences and emotional capacity.
Can you tell us something quirky about yourself, not widely known?
I’m on a wellness journey and have discovered a love for indoor cycling, red-light therapy and batch brew coffee. My therapy is nature, doom-scrolling memes, late-night binge watching and book escapism. I recently hiked The Three Capes Trek in Tasmania and have a goal to join an open water swim club.
Has where you’ve lived influenced your art?
My studio overlooks the Jawbone Reserve in Hobson’s Bay in Williamstown North. Nature is an endless source of inspiration in my work as is the people and places I’ve lived in the past. Last year I created a body of work for a solo show that focussed on nostalgia and connection to site-specific places to where I grew up.
What has been the most rewarding moment in your career so far?
Joining the Art to Art gang
What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?
There are so many challenges that pop up all the time. I try to see them as opportunities to grow and steer me in the right direction. I’m always open to new ideas and ways of doing things. I surround myself with great positive people and focus on the journey and being grateful for the seemingly small things.
How do you balance creative freedom with commercial success?
When you allow yourself to authentically follow the work that needs to be made commercial success is an inevitable outcome of doing the work. Great work resonates with people because of its authenticity and its ability to connect in a meaningful way. This cannot be manufactured or contrived. I believe they go hand-in-hand. Working hard in your practice, constantly learning and being open to ideas and ways of seeing the world allows you to convey your understanding of the world and your experience of it in the most genuine way. I believe this is the ‘secret sauce’ if you like of remaining creatively free and setting you up in the best possible position for commercial success. That being said, there is a lot of work that goes into running a business, which is what you need if you want to make a living from your art.
What advice would you give to emerging artists?
As an emerging artist myself, I would say to fellow artists that some things I’ve learnt along the way are to continually work on and in your practice, find mentorships that help you grow and also carve time for things in your life that bring you joy and stretch you to get to know yourself better. Living life to the fullest makes you a better artist; the creative ‘well’ needs to be filled with all the experiences and people that provide confidence, challenge and everything in-between. By setting firm boundaries around your practice and your processes you build confidence and skill.
Is there a particular piece of your own work that holds special meaning for you?
Am I allowed to have favourites? Just kidding, all my work holds special meaning to me as it’s a reflection of my emotions and experiences of life. I do really love the three pieces I currently have with the gallery ‘Made for loving you’, ‘A Love; boundless and endless as the sea’, and ‘Crazy in Love’. Each piece expresses the emotion of love in different ways and each a powerful statement.
What do you like to do if you aren’t painting?
Whizzing around on our new ebike with my two girls – its so much fun, swimming, reading, gardening, coffee and park hangs. I love indoor cycling classes, hiking with friends or wine with my besties at my local wine bar.
If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you’d be doing?
In every lifetime and every universe I am, was and will always be an artist.
What’s next for you in your artistic journey?
I’ve been going larger and allowing my work to breathe. It needs space! I also have some experiments brewing involving mixed media. Stay tuned! I’m also furthering my experiments in pastel and more muted tones. I’m also working on an interview with an art publication, entering art prizes and engaging in collaborations with other brands.
Where do you create your work, and what do you love about that space?
I create my work in my studio in Williamstown North, Melbourne. I love that the space provides lots of room, flexibility and adapts to what’s needed each day. It’s an organised and inviting space that allows me to get straight to work. I also love that I can ride my bike there as I live close by.
What does your creative workspace look like, and how does it shape your process?
My studio is very organised and I like to know where everything is so I can get straight to work when I get there. I work in a warehouse where I have a small space upstairs to paint and house all my painting supplies and do admin on my computer. On low-lying white cabinetry I have a favourite vase with flowers, lots of books and paintbrushes. I also have a handmade plate with incense. I’m generally painting more and more downstairs in a larger space, as my work is getting bigger. I have all my paints organised in tonal colours and my brushes are in jars on my bench top for easy access. When I’m working downstairs I have all my paints and brushes organised on a long bench with mixing palates in order so that I can wheel it around with me as I paint from one canvas to the next. This has been a recent game changer in allowing more flow in my process when working on large canvases at the same time.
Which mediums do you prefer working with, and what draws you to them?
I work with a variety of mediums and choose it depending on what result I’m trying to achieve. Sometimes I want more soft and fluid, other times I need more grit or creaminess. I work with acrylic and like how I can push it. It also dries quickly allowing me to add layers in a relatively short time.
What first sparked your passion for your current artistic practice?
Having children and wanting to lead by example really made me focus on what’s important and what excites me. I have always been an artist and having my girls made me realise I should pursue it professionally.
Walk us through a typical day in your studio—what routines or rituals do you follow?
I ride my e-bike with my two daughters, dropping them to school and kindergarten. Coffee is the next stop, sometimes just a take away to take back to studio or I might have a meeting with a client. When I arrive at my studio I check emails and then I’m either getting into some painting or working on other business admin. I have a lunch break and check emails again in the afternoon before doing school and kindy pick-ups. Sometimes if I have a tight deadline I will head back to the studio after we do dinner as a family and my girls are in bed. This is generally the pattern of my days but it does change depending on what my focus and goals are.
When I’m painting it depends on what phase of the process I’m in. I do listen to music and have incense burning from time-to-time. I often have no shoes on and often work on the floor.
How do you recognise the moment when you need to create? What triggers your inspiration?
Having good discipline of eating well, getting good sleep and scheduling in things I love to do all help me to feel creative and wanting to create and being open to inspiration. Inspiration can come at any time but is most prevalent when I routinely and consistently work and hold strong boundaries around my routines for painting. My life fuels my work so it’s important to me to have a balance between good quality rest and rich and dynamic experiences that light me up.
Are there recurring themes or subjects that continually draw you in?
Nostalgia seems to be a reoccurring theme for me lately and our relationships with others and how they grow and change over time.
What is your go-to materials, and do you have any unconventional tools in your practice?
I use acrylics, ink mediums and occasionally mixed media. All my tools are pretty standard. Who knows what I might use in the future!
What shifts or emerging trends in the Australian art world excite you the most?
I’m excited about the shift in perspective of the importance of women in art and a push for greater representation and inclusion in major art galleries and institutions. Overseas art collectors, particularly the biggest spenders, are buying more and more works by women and women in the collections of high-net-worth individuals increased significantly, from 33% in 2018 to 44% in 2023 according to Art Basal. This is an exciting trend for the Australian art world to follow. Its particularly exciting to see people loving abstract paintings and wanting art that evokes emotion and connection.
What’s the most unexpected or unusual job you’ve had outside of your art career?
I am a qualified jeweller and have previously had my own label and have exhibited and won prizes for my contemporary jewellery. I’m also an apt potter and a highly qualified teacher.
If you could host a dinner with three influential figures from the art world, who would make the guest list?
Laura Jones and her partner Lech Blaine. I would also invite Ben Quilty or Amber Cresswell Bell. To be honest there are so many it’s hard to narrow down to just three.
If you could acquire any artwork by a contemporary artist, which one would it be?
I would love to own one of Laura Jones’ still life paintings.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
This is hard as there are so many. I would love to collaborate with an artist that works in a different medium to me or their way of working is so different to me.
What’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve ever received?
To be honest, its not just creative advice I think its life advice. My parents have always said “nothing ventured, nothing gained” so I always try to go for the next challenge. Even if it seemingly doesn’t work out the way I imagined there’s always a reason. It helps me creatively to take risks as well and see experiments and trying new things as opportunities to further my work and skills.
What’s your favourite quote?
Rick Rubin taking about “experimental faith’ over ‘blind belief’ when doing things in your creative practice that allow you to grow even when it seems scary. To trust the process and the calling of what you need to create. When you view things as an experiment you take failure out of the equation because even failing is really finding something useful out the helps you.
