It’s all about the layers

A high energy talk and demonstration from Sarah Bernsten left many of us feeling motivated to “let loose” with our artwork as a New Year’s resolution.
Sarah’s artistic vision begins with her choices of surface, preferring to use found objects from huge sheets of left over plywood, to using charity shop linen tea towels stretched over old frames.

Onto this, she then begins to apply layers of different torn papers, allowing them to crease and cockle into a heavily textured surface, ready to apply more layers, this time of colour.

Sarah uses colour instinctively, in the form of Tempera and Paint sticks,( available as kids kits) and Neocolour 11 water-soluble wax pastel sticks, by Caran D’ache, applied and rubbed in by hand. She also uses Rembrandt Oil colour, favouring transparent colours mixed with wax and applied with a knife, with a creative energy that pervades her work. She advocates, enjoying the process, saying “don’t mind what other people think, express yourself,” her inspiration coming from past experiences, and her response to the elements derived from her lifetime of working outdoors and in her market garden. The paintings are not figurative, often celebrating stormy weather for instance, allowing the surface and her subconscious to dictate. Sarah advises not to try to control your artwork, let it happen instinctively, and do not try to please other people!

A final layer of wax allows her paintings to breathe whilst protecting them with a highly polished surface, that makes the colours glow, and gives a leather like appearance.
An invigorating evening to begin our creative year, Sarah can be contacted for workshops or for requests to paint on her land via info@somertonartists.co.uk.