sarah mosse biography

Comment

Sarah Mosse used to paint by night in a basement flat in London, squeezing it in between working by day in the corporate world. This competitive, critical environment of being watched while pounding the city treadmill on a daily basis made her want to break free, so she made the leap and headed off to rural France to paint full time.

The first thing that hit Sarah when she left London was the expansiveness of the sky. Suddenly the light, storms and dramatic changes up above all affected her, renewing her excitement and appreciation of being around nature again.This initial response to being free of working in a highly restrained, highly structured job has lead to a series of paintings of the changing skies.

The past eight months have seen Sarah, still very disciplined in her work ethic, in the studio expressing her delight of what she has been seeing. The larger canvases show Sarah gradually dismissing fears of mark-making, using glazes and washes and building up layer upon layer of paint.

Sarah has been fortunate enough to paint alongside acclaimed artist Andrew Gifford in his busy Dordogne studio. She has learned many things from him technically, but perhaps the most important thing that she has absorbed is how to throw caution to the wind when it comes to using oil paint.

The preoccupation now is capturing what happens in between light and shadow and the depth of field seen in the sky. Sarah Mosse is on a roll and long may it continue.

Rosie Clarke
artsinform

Inspiration

Nature is absolutely without mind or spirit - the total opposite to us. The more I explore the constantly changing complexity of the skies the more I make visible an emotional response to them. I show equal respect for the act of representation in the elaboration of the backgrounds and the disposition of colours. My work expresses the beauty I find in a landscape by enhancing any subtle colouration, exaggerating the peace or violence of mood - yet it is unquestionably tied to a level of truthfulness.

We live in a dynamic 3-dimensional environment that has an infinity of angles and layers. As a painter, I am now free to explore the depth and complexity of the world and convey very directly the personal relationship I have with it.

Background

Sarah Mosse, BA Hons
Born 1964, Haslemere, England
1982-1983: Foundation Course, Hereford College of Art
1983-1987: BA Hons Degree 3D Design, Middlesex University,

1987-1994: Commercial Interior Designer

Notable Projects: Abbey Road recording studios, London. Science Museum, London. London Transport Museum, London. Hibbert Ralph digital animation production studio, London. Virgin Megastore, Paris. Limelight Night club, Atlanta, USA.

1994-2003: Head of Global Marketing, SPSS MR software, London.

Responsible for the development and dissemination of corporate messaging and brand communication world-wide

I have had successful careers in commercial 3D design and brand creation and development. Both disciplines, though different in their application, required the ability to translate a client brief into a visual form that was exciting and meaningful to the audience for whom it was designed.

The greatest joy for me as painter is that I no longer have to answer a brief - now I set my own.

Sarah Mosse