In Conversation with Byron Bay artist Sarah Darling

Sarah Darling transports us to a dreamlike state with her intuitive blending of colours and strokes. Her work evokes soft fleeting memories of a sunrise swim in the ocean, the sweet hours between dark and dawn or the first bite of fruit in the summer. Her coveted works have been impossible to keep for long at CLO, and it’s no surprise why.

We sit down with the Northern Rivers based artist to talk creative routines, a perfect day, dream destinations and her studio soundtrack.

Photographed by Maclay Heriot.

Hi Sarah, where are you from and where do you find yourself practicing your art today?

I grew up in Wollongong then moved to Sydney where I did a degree in interior and spatial design. After I finished, I lived in Spain for a couple of years before moving back to Northern NSW where I started my degree in fine art at Lismore. I finished my degree in Sydney at COFA then eventually headed back north. I live and practice in Lismore, a town in Northern Rivers, NSW.

What drew you to painting and has this always been your chosen medium?

I actually started off in the sculpture department. I did a lot of ceramics when I lived in Spain and the sculpture department at Lismore was very ceramics centred. When I moved to COFA the sculpture department was a lot more modern and high tech. I struggled with this a little bit and started exploring expanded field painting and eventually just ended up painting.

Your practice follows what seems like an intuitive exploration of colour. What inspires or draws you to explore a theme or colour palette in your work?

I'm inspired by all sorts of things and I really love creating colours by mixing colours that you wouldn’t conventionally put together. When I am stuck for inspiration I definitely look to paintings from the old masters and art history to pull inspiration but a lot of the palettes I end up using come together mostly by chance.

We love to peek behind the scenes into the creative spaces of our favourite artists. Can you describe your studio for us?

I paint underneath my house in a small studio. It's great for me because I have two young boys and it means I can put them down for naps then disappear and paint. I leave everything set up so that I can duck down for quick sessions when time allows. It's a really simple set up, a big wall and a desk with all my paints and then a comfy chair to sit and look at the works from a distance.

Sharing a mid-morning coffee and home baked treat is a much loved mid-morning ritual in our design studio. Do you have a favourite studio treat?

Yum! I am so messy in my studio that I really try not to eat and drink in there (they really drilled this into me at painting school ha ha). I really can’t paint without a coffee though, so it's usually a cup of coffee or tea while I flick through some books to get me started.

Do you have any rituals or routines that inspire your creative process?

Definitely reading and looking through art books is a great routine for me to get my brain in the right space. I also like to listen to podcasts about art and art history while I paint.

Are you an early riser or a night owl?

I really want to be an early riser and I am to an extent because my little ones are up early. However, I'm most definitely a night owl. I love staying up reading and I do work quite well in the night as well.

Your paintings radiate a calm, peaceful feeling, transporting us to a dreamlike state. What is a perfect day for you?

Thank you, that's so lovely! I think a perfect day would be spending time outside and at the beach, followed by cooking a yum feast with the fam and some studio time. Then probably end the day with some chocolate and a great book!

Two of your recent works for CLO explore the depths of blue, a colour you have said reminds you of Greece. What is a dream destination for you?

I went Greece this June and I had never been before. I was so blown away by how beautiful it was and wow, the colours were amazing. It isn’t even the blue of the water. It’s the blue of the windows and old weathered sea side doors. The textures and patina of the paint were just beautiful. Next on my dream destination list is Pantellaria and some of the islands off Sicily.

Currently reading or listening to?

I just listened to the Death of an Artist podcast about Lee Krasner. There is another season about Ana Mendieta who I also love that I need to listen to. It is made by Katy Hessel who does The Great Women Artists podcast which is the best. I’m about to start reading the new Miranda July book All Fours which all my friends are reading and loving!

Do you have a studio soundtrack you're loving at the moment?

I was going through a bit of a Leonard Cohen phase after coming back from Greece. I walked up to his house and then got a little bit obsessed with his life in Hydra and couldn’t listen to anything else. I’ve also been listening to Cleo Sol.