A coastal landscape painting by contemporary Welsh landscape artist Sarah Jane Brown has reached the finals of the Wales Contemporary / Cymru Gyfoes International Art Competition 2023. The awards take place on Friday, 20th October, at 2.30 pm at the Waterfront Gallery in Milford Haven, and everyone is welcome to view the exhibition of the final selected works at the gallery between Saturday, 21st October and Wednesday, 20th December.
Sarah Jane takes inspiration from the coastal landscape of her Pembrokeshire home, drawing on emotions experienced whilst walking the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Her paintings reflect internal landscapes through the beauty of the Pembrokeshire skies and countryside, the natural drama of the elements and the sea.
“Being alone on the beach in the winter may seem a little melancholy, but it provides an introspective and intimate opportunity for some much-needed headspace and perhaps a little self-discovery,” says Sarah Jane. “I am thrilled that my painting, ‘Winter walk’, has been selected for the final stage of the Wales Contemporary / Cymru Gyfoes International Art Competition 2023.”
Now in its fourth year, Wales Contemporary / Cymru Gyfoes is an international open competition developed by the Waterfront Gallery with support from the Welsh Government. A prestigious panel of individuals in the art and design industry, designer Mehdi Moazzen, artist Janette Kerr and Professor of Design Innovation Ashley Hall, will judge the submissions, and there is a prize fund worth £12,000 to be awarded, with a main prize of £3,000.
Sarah Jane studied Fine Art Painting at the West Wales School of the Arts. Since graduating with a first-class honours degree, her career as a professional artist has steadily gained momentum and recognition. In 2020, Sarah Jane was awarded full membership to the Guild Society of Artists, part of the Fine Art Trade Guild, and the right to use the GSA post-nominal letters. The award acknowledges the consistently high standard of her work, as well as her professionalism and business ethics. She has exhibited widely across the UK, including at London’s Mall Galleries with the Royal Society of Marine Artists and the Royal Cambrian Academy in North Wales, enjoying multiple solo shows and overseas exhibitions. She recently featured in a new TV series, The UK’s National Parks with Caroline Quentin, that can be streamed online on Channel 4.
Invited to exhibit at On the Brink, a collection supporting Explorers Against Extinction’s global art initiative Sketch for Survival, Sarah Jane will show ‘Above the petrel station’ at The Crypt Gallery Norwich, 12th – 14th October; The Dundas Street Gallery Edinburgh, 26th – 29th October; and gallery@oxo London, 8th – 12th November. A painting by Sarah Jane called ‘Curiosity’ will feature in the ING Discerning Eye 2023 exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London from 17th to 26th November and online until 31st December.
Represented by Etcetera Gallery in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, and Art Unlimited in Bridport, Dorset, Sarah Jane’s work can also be seen at her Pembrokeshire studio. She regularly shares news about her painting life online; explore her website sjbfineart.com, follow @sjbfineart on Instagram or sign up for her newsletter to enjoy subscriber benefits, including first access to new work and exclusive invites.
Feature image: Winter Walk, oil on canvas, 30cm x 40cm
