Fine Art Prints, Illustrations and Commissions

Style

The work of Sarah Arnett takes you from the black and white of reality to the vibrant technicolour of fantasy, like Dorothy drifting into Oz. Step into a world of the imagination, where Regency Palaces are bedecked with jewels and mystical creatures roam through exotic lands. It’s a stage-set for theatre, its the glitter of Hollywood, its the dizzying dream of poetry. It’s the world of Sarah Arnett.

Modern, elegant and bursting with colour, Sarah’s work draws on her life experiences: growing up in Zimbabwe, traveling through India, and living in the seaside city of Brighton. In her artworks, the power of place is fused with illusion and theatricality. These are more than flat images; they’re stories that invite you all the way in. Fizzing with surreal energy, Sarah’s dreamscapes mix the real with the imagined: film characters and works of architecture appear tangled with wild foliage and mystical animals. Rich in colour and pattern, Sarah’s worlds leap from the page or jump from the walls, the furniture, the fabric of the room. They’re compositions in time, like a frozen tableau or film still. Linger here a moment. Indulge in the sights, the sounds, the gentle buzz of this unknown paradise. It’s a place to dream, to escape, and to lose yourself in colour.

Process

An attention to process is at the heart of everything Sarah creates; it’s been evolving since her early days as a weaver and her fire for experiment is still burning.Her colourful artworks begin with an initial, hand-drawn idea. Working from her studio in Brighton, Sarah combines these sketches with digital illustration, painting, and original photography, layering as she goes. Educated in the tactile arts of weaving and dying, Sarah’s use of digital processes is meticulous and highly skilled. A kind of reverse taxidermy, every tiny element is hand drawn and gradually built-up to create a rich and complex final image. The plumage on a bird is never just an illustration of plumage, but the hand-drawn creation of each and every feather, intricately layered for depth, texture, and delicate beauty.

These digital drawings are then combined with hand-painted backgrounds and self-taken photographs, which create that surreal mix of the actual and the imagined that Sarah is known for. Each work is a collage of endless ingredients, painstakingly composed onto a range of tactile surfaces including paper, textiles, lacquered wood and concrete. Finally, Sarah breathes dazzling life into her work with hand-cut sections of gold leaf, antique sequins, vintage beads, and crystals to create luxury texture and finish.

Details

All of Sarah’s fine art prints are signed, numbered, and include a certificate of authenticity. All Giclée prints are made on archival watercolour, a natural white alpha cellulose 220gsm paper with a slightly textured surface.

Her work is printed not only in the UK, but locally to Sarah in Brighton. She works with Stampa, a sustainable member of the Woodlands Trust Carbon Capture scheme, who plant trees to counterbalance their carbon impact and help create new native UK woodland. Larger pieces are printed and finished at Harwood King Fine Art printers, who have an excellent reputation and print for an array of world-wide contemporary artists and museums.

Full details of each work, versions, and sizes can be found as you browse the collection. Bespoke originals, with added collage pieces and hand-cut gold leaf, are available on request. Larger scale projects, collaborations, and commissions from individuals, establishments, or companies are also welcomed. See Sarah’s portfolio for more and feel free to get in touch.