Sarah Bent

Gerbera Glory, 17" x 23"

Fortunate to live in sunny Hong Kong, Sarah Bent uses that light as her inspiration -- photographing her subjects as the sunlight plays across them. She begins each of her paintings by taking a series of photographs intended to capture the abstract images that underpin all of her watercolors. At the same time, she is looking forward to the creative process that will turn these photos into paintings. To achieve the depth of color that she wants, she applies multiple layers of transparent paint to her paper, allowing the colors to flow and mix on the paper. By juxtaposing intense darks against bright, light areas, she produces dramatic, vibrant paintings of tropical flowers and flower-filled crystal vases, as well as more humble fruits and vegetables.

Lilybud II, 17" x 23"

Ornamental Cabbages, 17" x 23"

Originally from England, Sarah has been living in Hong Kong for over 30 years. Although she always wanted to paint, she put her dreams on hold while working and raising three children. When they were grown, her thoughts turned to painting again and she set about teaching herself and experimenting with different media. After initially working in acrylic and pastel, she discovered watercolor and has never looked back. She began painting portraits of pets and people and continues to paint portraits by commission. In 2007, she joined the Hong Kong group, Artists Abroad, and began focussing on still-lifes -- featuring flowers or fruit with crystal, china and glass -- and botanical-themed paintings inspired by the wonderful tropical flora of Asia.

Agave, 17" x 23"

Sarah exhibits annually in Hong Kong with Artists Abroad and is a Full Member of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists. She became a juried member of the International Guild of Realism in 2009 and her work was shown in their annual juried exhibition in Palm Desert, CA in February, 2010. She has also been honored as a finalist in the Society for All Artists (UK) 2008 "Artist of the Year" competition and with an Honorable Mention in Watercolor Artist magazine's 2009 Watermedia Showcase (appearing in the February 2010 issue of the magazine).

Please Don't Make Me Cry II, 17" x 23"

Please pop over to Sarah's website to see more of her work.

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