Step into West Wales Arts Centre at Peppers this May to experience the allure of the Pembrokeshire coastal landscape, captured in a breathtaking painting by artist Sarah Jane Brown. Her painting features in a new group art exhibition to launch the annual Pembrokeshire Art Trail, opening on Saturday 23rd May in Fishguard. The exhibition provides visitors an insight into this year’s Art Trail, showing works by all the artists and makers in one space.
Artist Sarah Jane creates emotive coastal paintings inspired by the light and colours of Pembrokeshire. Her work echoes traditional notions of the sublime, reminding us that being in a wild and rugged landscape is both humbling and uplifting. Using the landscape to describe thoughts and emotions, she aims to create moments of reflection.
‘Above The Petrel Station’ was inspired by a week-long painting trip to the tiny Pembrokeshire island of Skokholm, home to thousands of seabirds. ‘The Petrel Station’ is the nickname for a concealed cliffside breeding site and monitoring station, managed by island wardens to record the behaviour and health of the population.
“I loved seeing the birds, but most striking of all was the richness of colours and textures on the island,” says Sarah Jane. “The unreal dusky pink of the ancient red sandstone, the bright orange of the lichen that clings to it, and the deep teal of the sea. It was spectacular.”
Sarah Jane will open her studio for the North Pembrokeshire Open Studios Art Trail from 22nd August to 6th September, and exhibit in two supporting group exhibitions at West Wales Arts Centre at Peppers in Fishguard; opening 23rd May to 6th June, and 15th August to 6th September.
Visitors to the Art Trail, now in its 9th year, can look forward to an inspirational fortnight of art in the beautiful Pembrokeshire countryside. A new mobile app will launch this spring to provide full venue details on over 55 artists and makers, and the printed guide will be locally available from early summer.
