Arts & Culture – Sara Pope |
For our arts and culture section, we had a chat with the very talented artist Sara Pope. We chose her for this issue because she also has a signature colourful aesthetic about her craft. In the form of striking red lips, usually. We spoke to her about her work.
1. Tell us about how Sara Pope came to be an artist.
I took a bit of a winding route to becoming an artist. It all began with a degree in mathematics, which I quickly realised wasn’t what I wanted to spend my life doing. So after a short period of ‘oh my god what the hell do I do now?’ I started working in magazines as a graphic designer and later as an art director. Whilst doing that I met a very avant garde fashion designer who really inspired me to pursue something I’d always been interested in which was shoe design. I took the plunge and studied a diploma at the London College of fashion, and then went on to work for many years as a shoe designer for several brands. I really loved this job, but at one point I just knew I had to start doing the thing I’d toyed with all my life but never taken myself seriously doing. That’s when I began painting. I’m self taught so it was just me in my kitchen for a while, figuring out how to paint, and also what I wanted to express. It wasn’t too long though before I emerged from the kitchen, and well, here I am!
2. Why just lips? Is there a huge story?
When I started painting, I was immediately drawn to the face. I’m fascinated by emotion and what people reveal in their facial expressions. Also because of my fashion background, I’m interested in how people express themselves using colour and appearance modification, so I began playing around with painting portraits. Quite quickly I isolated the mouth, I felt it to be very expressive just by itself. I found the fact that people seemed to connectwith these paintings immediately, really interesting, because what I felt I was doing was a form of communication, and for people to have that reaction made me want to explore it more and more… and so the exploration grew.
3. How long does it take you to paint one of the big ones?
Typically it can take around 3 months, but if its covered with Swarovski crystals or neon for example, it can take a month or so more.
4. Are they random shaped lips or lips of actual models? Or both?
The way that I start a painting is always with a photoshoot. I’ll choose a subject, which is usually a model, I used to use friends and sometimes people I would stop on the street, but now its just easier to use models (less risk of looking like a nutter!). I’ll then create the makeup, and using very specific lighting, take lots of photos. After the shoot, I’ll choose some shots and play around with them and modify them in Photoshop. I use these images as inspiration to start the painting.
If I’m doing a commissioned lip portrait for a customer, then of course the painting will be based on their lips.
5. How many lips do you think you’ve created in total? If you’ve been counting
Oh wow I don’t know I actually haven’t been counting… could be a hundred… hundred and twenty, maybe more…
6. We see you have an exhibition going. Tell us more about that.
I’ve just had a solo show at Stella Dore Gallery which is finished now, but directly following that show, Stella Dore opened a group show in celebration of International Women’s Day, which I also have work in. It’s a fantastic show made up of several amazing female artists, and the show continues until 6th April.
Coming up I have a piece of work in the ‘Face Value’ exhibition at Jealous Gallery, which opens on the 18th April. This is an initiative by Gary Mansfield and the Katy Piper Foundation in support of burns survivors. The theme centres around change of identity, so a group of artists donate a piece then another group of artists work on top. I just found out that Ronnie Wood will be painting on top of my work, can’t wait to see the results!
At the beginning of May, opening on the 2nd, I will have work in another group show with Imitate Modern Gallery and Tax collection. The show focuses heavily on neon work and includes a few other fantastic artists such as the Lauren Baker and Half A Roast Chicken.
7. How has the response in Paris been?
The response has been wonderful, I think my art feels at home in Paris.
8. Tell us something people don’t fully appreciate about your craft?
I think people aren’t always aware of all the different stages in the process of making my art. As I explained a bit about earlier, first choosing models, deciding on makeup, then doing a photoshoot and afterwards working in Photoshop, this all happens before I even pick up a paintbrush.
9. Tell us something you love about your work.
There’s so much I love about it. I feel really lucky every day that I get to do this. But particularly I love the actual activity of painting, I find it to be a bit like a meditation. I become completely focused, so my mind zones out of most other thoughts, and I find it quite necessary to spend time in that state. I also love working with the people I work with in the art world, whether that be galleries, my print publisher, or other artists. Oh and also the fact that it opens doors to opportunities to meet people and do things you would never otherwise do. You don’t get invited to the private quarters of the Vatican everyday!
10. What’s next for Sara Pope?
There’s the two exhibitions that I mentioned coming up. I’m also thrilled to be doing a collaboration with Tiger Heart technology. Sanj, the founder has incredible experience in the creative tech world. He was involved in the creation of the Tupac hologram at Coachella, and many other amazing projects. The project we’re doing together will be a very interactive, immersive experience exploring the dynamics of how people and technology interact. I can’t say too much about it just now, but I can’t wait to tell all!
Follow Sarah Pope on Instagram here
See more in PRINT
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