Background

Sarah Gooder is an artist living and working in Yorkshire, UK.   Specialising in painting and drawing dog portraits, Sarah works primarily in watercolour and ink. She is self-taught, having rediscovered drawing when she studied for an Architecture degree as a mature student. Following her degree Sarah worked in different roles including architecture, garden design and exhibition design.

Process

Working quickly allows a spontaneous, energetic and immediate response to the subject and Sarah works to preserve that initial sketch, those first marks that begin to define the subject.
She also likes to work with multiple, careful layers, that gradually build up tone and texture and really establish a connection with the subject, after many days of observation and painting.

Artist statement

Watercolour allows me to find patterns and textures, layering and blending colours and shapes over eachother. I am also drawn to the line, the natural mark-making that happens as the hand responds to what the eye sees. Dogs hold a huge fascination for me as a subject to paint. I get lost in the patterns of their coats, the landscapes of colour and form. Each dog has a unique character and it feels a privilege when these animals choose to place their trust in us and offer their friendship. This is what I aim to capture in my dog portraits, that connection between two different species and how they convey this to us.

Exhibitions

2018 – Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2019 – Royal Watercolour Society Contemporary Watercolour Competition, Bankside Gallery London; Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2020 -2021 – New Light Exhibition, Scarborough Art Gallery, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Carlisle, Biscuit Factory Newcastle, Bankside Gallery London
2021 – Group Exhibition ‘Cats and Dogs’,  Gallery 68, Ulverston; Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2022 – Childwickbury Arts Fair, Hertfordshire
2023 – Royal Institute Painters in Watercolour, Mall Galleries, London
2024 – The Dog House, Brighton