The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite artist profile Images courtesy of Imitate Modern Sara revealed that the first art piece that she created was a portrait of a fabulously stylish 80-year-old New Yorker. When it comes to her work, she doesn’t try to convey any particular message. “I would hope that my work is suggestive for the imagination and that people viewing my work would take away a whole variety of things. Having said that I do think that in general my paintings emit a joyful playfulness which is the spirit in which I create them.” The artist is specifically interested in the face, as this is where all of our expressions, characters, and per- sonalities are communicated but when she first started painting, she began with portraits, which she likes to revisit now and again. Interestedly, Sara became the first female artist in over 70 years to have her portrait of the Pope accepted into the Vatican collection. She has also presented several other works from commissions including Gemini Portraits,Violent Femmes, Lucius and NewYork Ladies. For Sara, the most enjoyable and rewarding moment in making a new piece of work is seeing people’s reactions. “Art is communication, so it needs a viewer to com- plete its purpose.” On the flip side of this, she said, “Art is like playing” so there aren’t any unenjoyable or rewarding moments she doesn’t like. She pointed out that when you are a full-time artist, there are many necessary things to be done around the art such as tax returns and invoicing. To make a cutting edge and successful artist, Sara believes you need to be engaged with the world and what’s going on, as well as being aware of everyday visual language. “Then somehow reflect that in your art in a way that speaks to people.” She loves being in places where people can express themselves in interesting ways through clothes and make-up.“Tokyo was fabulous, and in the streets at London and Paris Fashion Week for example.” Speaking about Paris, Sara loves showing there as she loves the city.“I’m also really looking forward to showing in America at the Miami SCOPE Art Fair in December. But London never gets old.” She believes the art indus- try has changed a lot with the advent of social media. “Artists are much less reliant now on galleries to give them their work exposure and make sales. That can be very empowering for the artist. Having said that, I personally still love working with galleries, and have had only positive experiences.” She admits her latest creation is always her favourite as her work is constantly evolving in subtle ways. As art is so personal to her, like a fingerprint, Sara says she couldn’t imagine doing ‘someone else’s thing’ so there isn’t an art piece by another artist that she wished she had made. But she admires other artists including Antony Micallef, Erik Jones, and Matthew Stone, perhaps because of their similar pop-art ethos. When it comes to relaxing, the artist said she finds it hard to switch off. “One thing that does work though is doing something physical, like swimming in the sea, or yoga. Nature is also good.” For aspiring artists, Sara would advise them to figure out what they are passion- ate about and find a way to express that. “Also, when you start, don’t put a financial burden on your art. Maybe it will end up paying for your life, maybe it won’t, but I think it is best to avoid giving it that pressure.” At the moment, Sara is doing a very exciting project with Tiger Heart Technology. “The aim being to transform my lips paintings into an alternative AI experience.” The artist is currently represented by 17 galleries in the UK and internationally. Last year, she completed successful solo shows with Jealous Gallery, London and Lilford Gallery, Folkestone during the Folkestone Triennial, as well as a joint London show with Magnus Gjoen. She has completed collaborations with The Big Issue, BareMinerals, PIAS music label and Saatchi & Saatchi, ME London and Swedish fashion label Limitato. https://sarapopeart.com