New for 2024
Starting the year with a flurry of portrait commissions and enjoying working with watercolour for a change.
A Moment of Concentration
Original Watercolour 9” x 12” painted on 100% cotton Arches Cold Pressed 300gsm.
I have still to settle on a title for this piece as at the point of writing this I have only just finished painting it. This little ballerina study was painted using a combination of photos taken by the superb photographer Cathie Ogden, this beautiful little girl is her granddaughter. I hope this will be one of a set of studies of her. I adopted a much more painterly style to try and capture beautiful light and a little magical moment. This will be included in my limited edition fine art prints. Please follow my facebook page ‘Sarah Goswell Art’ for details of when they are available or if you wish to pre-order please email me through this website.
Luca
Original Watercolour 9” x 12” painted on 100% cotton Arches Cold Pressed 300gsm.
Another commissioned portrait this time of this gorgeous little chap. I love his characterful expression and his adorable super smart outfit. He was a joy to paint and I am happy to say his family absolutely love this portrait of him. My watercolour originials come professionally mounted and backed with their own certificate and cello wrapped making a really special and beautifully presented gift.
‘Snuggles’
Original Watercolour 29.7cm x 42cm painted on Arches Cold Pressed 300gsm
Your eyes don’t deceive you, this is the same beautiful little girl as in my other portrait below. Another commissioned portrait. Another portrait I loved painting and one which tested me as to how was I going to be able to depict that super soft and fluffy teddy eared robe. A much larger portrait made this a really striking painting and I am so happy to say that when it was collected there were tears of joy, with a comment of “My gosh its like she is here right in the room!” One of the really wonderful things about painting a portrait can be what it ends up meaning to the loved ones, that bit is priceless.
Little Girl in a Large Blue Hat
Original Watercolour 9” x 12” painted on 100% cotton Baohong Hot Press Paper.
A commissioned portrait of this beautiful little girl which I decided to paint in watercolour. A little bit of a brave step as whilst I used to draw portraits in graphite pencil years ago I had not painted one let alone in watercolour. This portrait posed many challenges as I wanted to be able to do justice to that fabulous over sized hat which also reflected wonderfully in her beautiful eyes. There was a huge amount of work in preparation for the final painting, however I love it and thankfully so do her family! .
Darliah
Original Pen and colour 5” x 7” (Hot Press watercolour paper)
A very small commissioned portrait which came with very specific guide as to what was wanted. The request was for a portrait in a pen and dash of colour style at this exact size as it was to accompany two other portraits the family already had. They also wanted it to be as minimal as possible with use of pen strokes. This was without doubt quite a challenge, working so small and to lightly capture the nuances of what make this portrait her. In addition I had only done one other pen and wash which was of ‘Hope’ the Orangutan and that had a much looser style. Working in a style that kept pen strokes to a minimum mean you need to make each one count, also you can’t undo any mistakes. The portrait you see here is actually my third attempt for that very reason. You know working outside your comfort zone and trying something entirely new teaches you so much and can be seriously rewarding
New for Autumn 2023
A touch of magic - In keeping with my love of animals and the beauty of magical light.
The Fisher King
Original acrylic on canvas 24” x 18”
That fleeting dash of sparkling blue and turquoise, the flashing glimmer of iridescent feathers - kingfishers are so very beautiful and almost more so as they are so rarely seen. There is a beautiful river walk not far away from my home that has become my soul soothing and uplifting place to go and enjoy nature and wildlife. It is along this stretch of river that I have been so lucky to see and photograph kingfishers. Really though to be fair I have only sighted them a few times. I created this painting using one of my photos. I was perched still and hidden for hours waiting and hoping, I was thrilled to bits to not only see a kingfisher but also to get a few photos. This particular one is where he stopped for a few brief seconds, back lit and with the sun kissing the top of his head, shimmering and sparkling on the iridescence of his feathers. After a moment of wonder and pause he was off in a flash. For me it was magical, my heart was singing for hours afterwards at just how lucky I was. I wanted to encapsulate all of that joy and wonder into this painting, in the hope that others may get to feel the same.
Cherish
Original acrylic on canvas 60cm x 60cm
The name Cherish means to protect and care for, which is exactly the message I want to convey. These beautiful animals really need our care and protection. I adored this little one’s beautiful face and especially the eyes. I wanted to capture her innocence and beauty. We will be donating 50% of the profits from the sale of the fine art limited edition prints to Sepilok — the Orangutan Orphanage and rescue centre in Borneo.
The Black and White Collection
I am delighted to announce that the new black and white prints are now available in my website shop.
Leona and Asha
Part of my new series of black and white prints - these are specially edited versions of my paintings. What I love about these is that they help you see the painting in an entirely new way and therefore enjoy a different experience. I am delighted that in creating and selling these prints we will be able to help raise money for The Born Free Foundation.
These are now available in my online shop section of this website. Please note that the pale copyright logo is not on the actual fine art prints.
Boris
You may be aware that my painting of Boris the Chimpanzee is of a very real and wonderful chimp who lives in Chester Zoo. I am delighted to announce that we will be donating 50% of the profits from the sale of the black and white prints of Boris to NEZS North England Zoological Society. They not only support Chester Zoo but also have very exciting projects in progress too - I will update you with more news of that soon! You can find the sale of the black and white prints of my painting of Boris in my online shop.
Asha (black and white)
Leona (black and white)
Boris (black and white)
More Beautiful Animals
After my ‘WILD’ exhibition I have continued to focus on painting animals, in particular endangered species and rescued wildlife. I am painting where my heart leads me. The intent behind these paintings has been to use my art to draw attention to their plight and help raise money for specific organisations who are helping care for and protect them.
Soaring High
Original acrylic on canvas 70cm x 50cm
This time I painted something for myself, coming through the worst of depression I wanted to fill my field of vision and my mind with light and colour, almost a heavenly sky. The whole painting depicts a feeling of light and hope. I would like to thank Virginia Saunders for allowing me to use her beautiful photo as inspiration for this, her photo showed the Tern hovering with sunshine flooding through the feathers almost angelic in it’s beauty. I my painting I have used soft rainbows of colour shimmering across the body. We are only currently offering small fine art prints of this, however the painting looks really beautiful when printed very large. If you would like a supersized print please contact me via email or social media.
Kizzi
Original acrylic on canvas 40cm x 40cm
A joyful fox in a summer meadow, this is what I wanted to create. Kizzi was a long time in the painting process, mainly because I was going through a very personal process of healing. Finding my way through depression, Kizzi is named after my therapist as a way of thanking and honoring her in helping me work through so much. I love wildlife and try to help support those who actively care for rescue animals. The charity we have chosen to donate some profits from Kizzi to is Hart Wildlife Rescue. They do such important work and have cared for and rescued several foxes as well as being a relatively local charity to me. Should you wish to purchase the original artwork painted on box canvas please contact me privately.
G’Day
Original acrylic on Canvas 50cm x 50cm
This cheeky Koala was painted expressly to help raise funds for W.I.R.E.S who were desperately trying to help care for very badly injured wildlife across Australia due to the horrendous bush fires from the end of 2019 through to Spring 2020. Hearing about the raging wildfires daily was heartbreaking especially feeling helpless to do anything. There was a huge effort to try and help the plight of the vast numbers of wildlife that needed care. I had initially helped co-ordinate locally and make the pouches and little nests they needed, as did many crafters across the world. The charity W.I.R.E.S became inundated with handcrafted items of all kinds so thereafter just needed funds to help pay for the food, care and necessities. I knew I wanted to paint a Koala, but I also wanted to bring joy through that cheeky smile and through colour, he really is a tapestry of jewel colours. If you look carefully at his eyes, you don’t just see mischief, you also see the reflection of the raging fires and a fireman working tirelessly to extinguish them. With every G’Day limited edition print sold 50% of the profits go to W.I.R.E.S and so for we have donated over £1,000.
Asha
Original acrylic on canvas 100cm x 100cm
This tiger cub was originally part of the ‘Wild’ exhibition although was exhibited in a part painted state. This painting remained on my easel for a long time, with slow progress mainly due to family circumstances and the care of my very poorly Mum. There is an energy that arrives of it’s own accord when you are painting on a large scale, a wonderful freedom of painting with a large brush requires expressive fluid movement. It is quite exhausting too it has to be said. My desire to paint Asha came from wanting to paint a tiger cub that through the eyes and the gaze connected with people. Tigers are a endangered species and we need to step up and do more to protect them and their habitat. What I want those eyes to be communicating is ‘care for me, protect me’. I am happy to say we are donating 50% of the profits from the sale of fine art limited edition prints of Asha to The Born Free Foundation, their work in wildlife conservation and care of animals, education and policy changes is incredible. They have made a huge difference for many years, but it is a ongoing battle and they need our support.
Hope
Original pen and wash on Huile Oil Paper 30cm x 40cm
This artwork was a result of playing with pen and wash and more of an experiment with a view to creating a painting later. However, I do love how she has come out, Her sweet smile and her really soft wispy hair, she really is a little baby orangutan. We chose the name ‘Hope’ because orangutans need our help and more than just a little hope. We donate 50% of the profits of each limited edition print of her to Sepilok in Borneo, a sanctuary for orphaned orangutans. They do a fantastic job of caring for them through to adulthood and preparing them for being released safely into a more wild environment.
Mrembo
Original acrylic on canvas 50cm x 50cm
Mrembo means ‘beautiful’ in Swahili. I believe elephants are truly beautiful, their nature is especially so. I absolutely love the joy you see when a baby elephant is at play and I wanted to capture and express that in this painting. My Mum loved this painting, she felt it looked like Mrembo was so delighted to see her he was happily galloping towards her. We continue to raise funds for the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who have several wildlife sanctuaries in Africa that include caring for orphaned elephants. So far we have raised over £1,000 and we continue to donate 50% of the profits from the sale of each limited edition print.
Little King
Original acrylic on box canvas 50cm x 50cm
I adore Kingfishers and at the time of painting this I had only ever fleetingly seen them twice in my life. The painting was inspired by a local photographer who sadly is no longer with us, Steve Chadd. His brother Michael had contacted me as Michael had loved my paintings and wanted to show me his brothers passion - nature photography. His photography is gorgeous, I was really honoured that Michael had got in touch and that Steve allowed me to use his photo as reference. I have applied a good deal of artistic licence but I absolutely loved painting this. The limited edition series of this painting is only very small and we are now nearly sold out.
Mystique
Original acrylic on canvas 23cm x 28cm
Mystique was painted for the ‘Black’ exhibition held in ‘The Crypt Gallery’ London run by Artistic UK. This was an exciting opportunity to paint something that was very nearly all black. This was one of the rare times I have used black as I prefer to use dark colours instead. The painting is painted with ‘the blackest black’ as background paint, I then painted the cat itself in three forms of acrylic black, matt, shiny and satin finish. Using the brustroke texture of black on black to create subtle fur detail. The fur strokes were further enhanced with the use of deep red, green and a vivid electric blue. The eye is where I had the most fun and could express my love of colour, however as the canvas was only small, getting the level of detail I wanted in the eye was tricky.
Spike
Original acrylic on canvas 40cm x 40cm
I wanted to bring some light and colour into what has been a very difficult year for everyone and from a family perspective too with the loss of my Mum late 2020. She loved all animals but hedgehogs had a special place in her heart too. One of my favourite characters growing up was Mrs. Tiggywinkle. I wanted to be able to help a local charity ‘The Happy Hedgehog’ in Yateley, Hampshire run by Jayne Morgan. They are a very small charity and achieve a huge amount rescuing and caring for all manner of injured wildlife not just hedgehogs, although Jayne is clearly passionate about them. We are donating 50% of the profits from the sale of the original and limited prints to ‘The Happy Hedgehog’ and hopefully bringing some cheer and cuteness into peoples’ homes.
Watercolours
Learning and experimenting with a new medium.
Firstly, it does us all good to play and to try new things and fail, although that seems such a harsh word. Failing is trying and learning. The beauty of using paint (no matter what sort) is that often the paintings we feel are failures we can come back to and change, experiment with even if only as practice. For example my little Wildflower painting (which is tiny) started out as quite a pickle of abstract paint and looked quite a mess. There is pressure to stick with an established style as an Artist - honestly art is there for us to play, explore and express ourselves. We grow and develop so why shouldn’t our art too. In this section you will find just some of the watercolours I have created.
People have really loved some of the watercolours I have created along the way so I thought it would be nice to include them here. You can also buy fine art prints of most of them in the website shop.
Daisy & Doris
Watercolour Original 12 inches x 9 inches
This painting was inspired by a wonderful photograph taken by David Felstead (an amazing wildlife photographer). These small gosling chicks are utterly adorable and so fluffy. I love that David was laid flat on the floor taking the photo and one of the chicks is clearly amused and wondering what he is doing. I wanted to paint this in a fully fine art style to do his photo justice, I purposely worked to achieve a bokeh background and more blurred foreground. These two just melt my heart!
Prints are available via the website shop.
Enchanted Glade
Watercolour original with acrylic accents 19.5cm x 14cm
This artwork was a result of playing with pen and wash and more of an experiment. Initially I was playing with wet in wet on a small sheet just testing out colours and how they behaved especially when salt was added. Some colours will give you a more marked reaction. I realised that a little painting was starting to take shape so added more colour and let it dry. Once dry it really did look like an enchanted wood, encouraged by a friend I then painted glowing dots and tiny dancing fairies, which was a challenge as the painting is so small. I absolutely love how it came out.
Prints are available in the website shop.
Pippin & Merry
Original Watercolour with 25cm x 33cm
Playing in creating a bokeh effect as well as trying out another watercolour paper. I have combined a soft and loose background with some finer detail. I really wanted to capture the soft fluffiness of the young bunny and the delight of seeing a butterfly.
Prints are available in our website shop.
Field of Wishes
Original Watercolour 24cm x 34cm
More experimenting but moving to a larger scale and also trying out a different watercolour paper - the paper can make quite a difference to the painting processas well as the grain of the end result. I was in love with painting dandelion wishes, this time I wanted to give the impression of the sun setting behind, illuminating them with a warm glow and gold tinted grasses. A beautiful soft painting with delicate details.
Prints are available at different sizes, we have also by special request had a special extra extra large print of this that just looked stunning. If you do want a larger size print than we stock please email or message me.
Wildflower Wishes
Original Watercolour with iridescent acrylic highlights 18.5cm x 12.5cm
A very small painting lots of colour and salt on a wet in wet background. I was trying out a small new watercolour book and hadn’t expected the painting to come out as nicely as it did. With this one I wanted to experiment more in achieving a more realistic version of the Dandelion wishes. After the background being really quite loose this is where I enjoyed finely painting in the details. This is mainly painted in watercolour but with a few dots of iridescent and metallic acrylic added later.
I am planning on stocking prints of this sweet little painting in the website shop - so coming soon!
Wildflower Meadow
Mixed Media 23cm x 15cm on Arches Cold Pressed Watercolour paper
This artwork was a result of playing with pen and wash and more of an experiment. Initially I was playing with wet in wet adding colour then patches of salt with no direct plan in mind. It was once it had dried that I felt it reminded me of a wildflower meadow. I then used watercolour to paint in some finer details, once dried I added small dots and extra detail with some iridescent acrylic paints. It was a lot of fun. Fine art prints are available in the website shop - they look so cheerful and lovely.
More Artwork
Click on one of the images below to see more of my works
