Sarah Lester
CONTEMPORARY IMPRESSIONIST
An Established Artist of over 25 years, exhibited and collected both Nationally and Internationally in private and corporate collections.
Exhibited at: Christies (London), Café Royal (London), Cork Street Gallery London, Old Course Hotel (St Andrews, Scotland), Byre Theatre, St Andrews, Aintree racecourse, Wentworth Club, Nicola Smith Fine Art, Surrey, Royal St Georges golf club, Kent, Lilford Gallery, Kent, Middle Street Gallery, Padstow, Padstow Contemporary Gallery (now Circle Contemporary), Cornwall.
Some Private and Corporate Collections: Egan Property Asset Management: Geoff Egan, Cantor Fitzgerald: Elliot Bernerd, Jupiter Asset Management:Stephen Pearson, Rothchild’s, First City Care: Grahame Harding, Sir Nick Faldo, Unilodge (Domatia): William Fforde, Lord Maclaurin, Virgin Active: Frank Reed.
Charities supported: SPARKS, Children in Crisis (now Street Child), Bobby Moore Foundation, British Ski Team, The Golf Foundation.
Featured In: The Times, Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Scotsman, The Independent Magazine, The Lady, Harpers & Queen.
Featured On: Sky News, Sky TV, BBC, European Tour Productions.
Rather than having to endlessly scroll down through loads of images, I’m giving you an initial ‘Snap Shot’ of a dozen paintings that best, I think, show you some of the variety of colour palettes, marks and perhaps what I call ‘Moods’ available, and as most women will admit, we possess MANY!
And, let’s be honest…once you are attracted to a painting the practical side of the brain starts thinking along the lines of…
"It just makes the Hall ‘sing’/sets the sitting room off wonderfully/above the kitchen table it reminds me of…/great for the study” - LIVING vibes.
“These would lift the Boardroom, clients would love them” - WORKING vibes.
“They blend with our design choices perfectly” - AWAY STAY vibes.
Recent Seascapes
And now to start scrolling….
With these next Thirteen pictures, I decided to pre-mix a softer, slightly restricted palette. And then from only these pots of paint I then mixed further. When you get an extra ‘Pop’ of colour, that’ll be the Oil Pastel buzzing through.
All the pictures have many layers (A Nod to ‘What Lies Beneath’, or perhaps it should be ‘Within’. So, when you see or rub your fingers over those bumpy ridges on the painting, imagine flying through turbulent clouds or pushing yourself in the surf under the waves (trying not to get dumped on).
That’s apart from the obvious references to Sand, Rocks, Weed, Grass, Plants, Soil - all the gritty really important bits that surround us - and where we end up, in the end.
‘Energy, it’s about The Energy’
and this flows into me, through me and out into the paint to become a captured moment, a Time capsule if you like.
A Blaze of golden light - renew yourself.
No.5 Size Framed 56x66 cm SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Dusky Pink Casein paint.
Delicate Warm Clouds Melting into the Vigorous depths - Follow the sun.
No.7 - Size Framed 66x66 cm SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein paint.
Gliding inside the Glacial turquoise, feel the refreshing tingling on the skin.
£1800 Framed size: 46 × 99 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in a deep (5 × 2 cm) Oak frame, sides burnished with 6 layers of Old White Chalk paint & the front is polished Oak.
Available
Warmth breaking through the Big Blue.
No.4 Size Framed 56x73 cm SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein paint.
Is it the sea or perhaps snow, drawing me into the light.
No.12 SOLD
My new owners have taken me back to Munich!
Delicate Grandeur - when a rare Haar breathes mystery over the cliffs - just imagine being in the water when it happens…Magical!
£2000 Size Framed 67 × 87 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board. Backlit with Copper Gilt and floated in a deep Oak frame (5 × 2 cm), sides burnished with Soft Teal Casein paint.
Available
Sounds like whispering History with secret ocean gems glistening beneath - A Calming ‘Kind of Blue’, as the
legendary trumpet of enigmatic Miles Davis sinks into our auditory sensations…
£2000 Size Framed 63.5 x 98.5 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board. Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in a deep Oak frame (5 × 2 cm), sides burnished with 6 layers of Old White Chalk paint & the front is polished Oak.
Available
Elemental soft tones merging with power towards a pale blue horizon = Moody Blues.
No.6 -SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein paint.
Taking Time to Stand and Stare - at this immense horizontal view. Squat on a rock, paddle on the edges or be brave and dive into the surf.
Just be, and be content.
£2200 Size 60 x 120 cm Unframed, (and can be framed and hand finished to order).
Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Deep Box (4 cm) Silk Canvas Board
Available
Ozone Overload.
No.10 SOLD
Gone to a new home in Tenerife - it reminded her of the view from her balcony out to sea…
If I was a Gull, Swooping out to Sea observing all the Colours and Patterns Shimmering under Me….Weeeeeeee!!
No.2 Size Framed 72x98 cm SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Burnt Orange Casein paint.
It’s Skies like this that make me feel Alive…
SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on Board,
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein paint.
Last of The Light (Rock to Padstow)
Crisp December, the Tor (foot ferry) over the Camel Estuary for a very fine, very long lunch at The Seafood Restaurant - and the sky did this!
£1800 Framed Size: 90 x 60 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on Deep Box (4 cm) Silk canvas board
Floated in deep (5 × 2 cm) Oak Veneer Frame, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein Paint.
Available
Framing - Tailoring it to your liking:
The finishing touches, and by that I mean the side and front colours on all frames, can be changed if what I have initially put on doesn’t suit what you have in mind.
The advantage of being truly ‘Bespoke’.
I added this photo…as Evidence that Yes the Sky can really do these things and for those that know me well - it was NOT just the Wine!
This shows the subtle, peeking through of the Copper Gilt.
Depending on where you hang the picture and how the light moves over it during both Day and Night, it sings to you its glistening secret - and is a nod to the goodies Mother Earth, over many centuries has bestowed upon us - and a reminder of how we should look after Her better.
The Next 6
The next six are meant to shake you up and give a positive ‘StollyBolly’ jolt to the system - and I know there will be many out there who are far too young to relate to Joanna Lumley, aka Patsy in AbFab….but Google it!
John, Paul, George & Ringo would psychedelically approve…
There’s so much Energy - It’s fizzing with Life!
SOLD Framed Size: 66 x 66 cm
The Rush - I Feel the Need for Speed.
SOLD Framed Size: 56 x 66 cm
Colour strengths, bouncing off each other, masquerading as a poppy field.
SOLD Framed Size: 56 x 73 cm
Take the rib or sail the “Crabber” out in the Camel Estuary, off into the deep blue and beyond…
£1800 Framed Size: 51 × 81 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on Board,
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in a deep (5 × 2 cm) Oak frame, sides burnished with 6 layers of Old White Chalk paint.
Available
Tidal Race - look for the hidden fish, in the sea, jumping for joy in the sky - even basking fossils in the sand…
£2200 Framed Size 87 × 87 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on board
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in a deep (5 × 2 cm) Oak frame, sides burnished with Old White Chalk paint & the front with a slight pearlised effect.
Available
A sensuous rock pool, and yes there’s a token bug in residence…!
SOLD Framed Size: 62 x 66 cm
The Next 4
…And now for something a little different.
With pink candy floss clouds puffing their way over soft inky blue-grey skies, these next four emit the shades you find in the pebbles and rocks and of course, that perpetually moving, endless watery thing…
Take a chill pill and hold that
Yoga pose.
I Call this A Cornish Green Whoosh!
SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on Board,
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak framed, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein paint.
You feel you can Dive right on in…
SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on Board,
Backlit with Copper Gilt & floated in an Oak frame, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein paint.
WEATHER…Give me a good Storm any Day
SOLD
Acrylics on deep box Canvas Board
Framed Size: 90 x 60 cm
It’s comforting to know this view, a Healing View, and that it will always be here, and in my head I can take it everywhere.
SOLD
Acrylic & Oil Pastel on Deep Box (4 cm) silk canvas board. Unframed 60 x 120 cm
We are all ‘Mental Travellers’.
There are real favourite places, all over the world that hold a special place in our hearts. Some of these we return to often, sometimes it is just a one-off experience that stays imprinted in our subconscious.
Then there are places that only exist in our imagination, yet they provide both stimulation and comfort.
Sometimes our senses cross over - a lyrical or musical lilt might be detected in a painting.
Ultimately we are all individuals and we all see things in our own way - after all, as yet we are still Human and not AI…!
“What Lies Beneath”
Launched in June 2024 at The Lilford Gallery, Canterbury, Kent.
A New and on-going series.
All these next beauties revel in the extensive colours and textures I found in my studies.
Some studies became these paintings, others just decided to evolve by themselves - with me, of course, at the artistic ‘coalface’.
Some are much more literal than others, and that’s partly the point - to be able to expand on themes and just see where it takes you.
This was just the beginning - which began in 2005 - two decades ago with a Title: “Always Changing, Ever Constant”.
That year was, what you would term “A Hell of A Year”, and if you take a gander at my story you’ll understand why I escaped to Cornwall, borrowed a dear friend’s house which was high on a hill above Polzeath’s surfing beach and looked out to Stepper Point on the left and Pentire Point on the right. Months later, and a purposely spent winter of solitude, I was ready to return to contact with the human race (sorry Mum).
In conjunction with the Post-Show Catalogue (where nearly all of them sold!), they are numbered, rather than titled. Worry not if the numbers here don’t run in order - I had a virtual re-hang and decided to put them in the order that David Lilford hung them in his splendid Lilford Gallery - footsteps from the mighty Canterbury Cathedral.
5. SOLD
This immense stretch seems as though you can feel the curvature of the Earth.
Framed Size: 56 x 128 cm
17: SOLD
Framed Size: 48x86 cms
3: SOLD
Framed Size: 56x66 cms
20: SOLD Framed Size: 45x98 cms
14: SOLD
Stormy crashing around Trevose Head, Cornwall.
Framed Size: 60x68 cms
21: SOLD
Framed Size: 62x98 cms
18: SOLD Framed Size: 66x62 cms
7: SOLD Framed Size: 67x67 cms
There’s a funky musicality to these strokes - a bit like the Saxaphonist guy who bought me!
12: SOLD Framed Size: 34x42 cms
I now overlook the beach at SeaSalter.
13: SOLD Framed Size: 98x62 cms
You can really feel the Gusts of Wind - and I now live in Chicago…
15: SOLD Framed Size: 60x62 cms
22: SOLD
Framed Size: 57x67 cms
11: SOLD Framed Size: 40x54 cms
“My new home in Italy brings out the Tuscan Pink in me”.
23: SOLD Framed Size: 50x50 cms
And I’m on my way to my new home in Elie, Scotland.
Feeling kind of Blue, A Calm Blue…
£450 Framed Size: 34 x 42 cm
Acrylic & Oil Pastels on Board.
Floated in a deep (5 × 2 cm) Oak Frame and Backlit with Copper Gilt, sides burnished with Slate Blue Casein Paint.
Available
24: SOLD
Framed Size: 62x98 cms
28: SOLD
Framed Size: 40x54 cms
35: SOLD Framed Size: 56x51 cms
My new Mistress says it matches her eyes!
38: SOLD
Framed Size: 40x55 cms
16: SOLD Framed Size: 66x56 cms
26: SOLD Framed Size: 66x66 cms
9: SOLD Framed Size: 60x80 cms
4: SOLD Framed Size: 40x54 cms
6: SOLD Framed Size: 66x86 cms
41 & 42: SOLD as a pair
Framed Size: 42x54 cms
27: SOLD Framed Size: 56x67 cms
A Chinese friend of mine told me it reminded her of “Moon River” in her homeland, so she brought it back to stay with her for good!
32: SOLD Framed Size: 32x54 cms
1: SOLD Framed Size: 72x98 cms
29: SOLD Framed Size: 66x66 cms
25: SOLD Framed Size: 39x77 cms
34: SOLD Framed Size: 49x55 cms
30 & 31: SOLD Framed Size: 35x42 cms
33: SOLD Framed Size: 86x86 cms
36: SOLD Framed Size: 34x54 cms
37: SOLD Framed Size: 56x80 cms
29: SOLD Framed Size: 21x46 cms
40: SOLD
Framed Size: 66x86 cms
19: SOLD Framed Size; 57x67 cms
Sarah says:
“When they say ‘Home is where the heart is’, and I knew East Kent from golf.
Then in 2019 Andy Lester found me - in GOA!
Over the past 8 years, from living in Sandwich and now Ickham I have appreciated just a taste of what there is:
‘Magnificent Margate’- no wonder Turner loved the skies and now with its edgy current art scene. Both my kids live and love ‘Margs’!
‘Delightful Deal’ with its trendy version of Suffolk’s Aldeburgh and excellent Lighthouse music venue.
Then there’s that rare, solitary wild expanse of Sandwich Bay.
I can, hand on heart say that I am happier, more fulfilled, stimulated and grounded than at any time in my life - and this hopefully shows and will continue to expand in my work.
Whilst Cornwall will always be cherished” -