A former Lakes teacher who followed her passion for painting has won a prestigious art award at this year’s Lake Artists Society Annual Summer Exhibition.
Sarah W Brown, who for 18 years was head of art and design at Cartmel Priory School, only started painting professionally two years ago.
The Lake Artists Society awarded Sarah the Youdells Painting Prize for her triptych, Momentum.
Inspired by the quarrying and mining history in the mountains of the Lake District and Wales, it is made up of three panels. Each panel represents different aspects of the mining and quarrying process and the awe-inspiring work of these strong communities.
The semi-abstract panels, A Significant Over Rotation, Turbulent Flow, and Crashing Down, can be displayed on their own or in configurations to regularly give the artwork a fresh appearance.
Sarah said: “I am absolutely thrilled to bits! The Lake Artists Society’s Summer Exhibition is a much celebrated event in any artists calendar and the quality of artwork on display is second to none. To even have my work accepted into the exhibition was a huge achievement for me, so I’m over the moon to win one of the top prizes.
“Even prior to the award, Momentum was one of my favourite pieces of work to date because it goes beyond a representation of the physical beauty of the mountains.
“It tells the story of man’s impact on the landscape and through the shapes, textures, and colours, I’ve tried to bring to life the ferocious energy not only of the quarrying process, but of the communities who worked and sometimes died there.
“It’s an acknowledgement that beauty can be found in those strangely alluring scars that hold the history of toil and hardship, but also of tradition, community, and love.
“Colour and pattern are key elements in all of my paintings and I’m at my happiest when they combine to create powerful moods and emotions in people.”
The exhibition, including Sarah’s winning painting, is open daily from 10.30am to 4.30pm at Grasmere Village Hall until Wednesday September 6.
The society was founded in 1904 by artist and author, WG Collingwood who was secretary to the writer, philosopher, and art critic, John Ruskin.
The flagship summer exhibition of hundreds of artworks has been held almost every year with only the Second World War and COVID postponing the event.
Regularly attracting more than 10,000 visitors, it showcases an eclectic mix of original artwork from the society’s 45 members, plus some works from carefully selected non-members living and working in Cumbria.
To find out more, visit https://lakeartists.org.uk.
