THIS week in our profile of artists on the Cotswold Hare Trail we meet Sarah Vonthron-Laver.
My childhood was spent in Warwickshire, and the Cotswolds being on our doorstep, was a place we visited many times, it left an impression on me from an early age and it still evokes such happy feelings in me now when I go back to visit.
Eight years ago, while I was living in Bedminster, I made a trip to Westonbirt Arboretum with my family during October and was blown away by the colours and the closeness of the trees.
I knew from that point I had to live near trees and couldn’t be a city dweller anymore, so moved out into North Somerset.
Back in October when a fellow artist friend shared the details of the Cotswold’s arts trail on Facebook, having seen a similar arts trail in Bristol over the last few years I really wanted to have a go at painting a Cotswolds’ hare as I knew I had such strong imagery in my head from all those years back.
After reading the brief thought I would reinterpret a style of illustration I have worked on in the past, as it lent itself well to an acrylic media, and also is a mix of fairy tale and textile style.
I chose to paint it this way as my memories of the Cotswolds are very much mixed up with other memories as a young child including Eastern European fairy tales and animal stories.
And relooking at the Cotswold landscape now I can see many textile patterns within its different environments.
The image I’m painting shows various Cotswolds landscapes throughout the seasons, and hidden in each section is a sign that the hare has passed by recently, or is in there somewhere!
I’ve used very vibrant colours as I want the hare to appeal to adults and children alike, and I feel the use of these colours and the textile patterns on the trees are a nod to those fairy tales I read as a child.
Creating exterior artwork has captured my interest as I love the immediacy of it and the fact that it can exist in a very informal setting to be enjoyed by all.
Truly art for the people.
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