Sarah Thornton-Smith

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Biography

Arriving from Singapore in her early teens, Sarah was struck by the quality of the light here in Western Australia, which contrasted with her formative experience of light bound by tropical lushness. Her foundation years at Curtin University in the School of Design, guided her to her lifelong fascination with colour. Her visual art practice gives her opportunities to explore the myriad of attributes of colour in the compositions and constructions she creates. Her work stems from observing nature directly with photographic documentation, field study drawings and illustrations. Influenced by rhythmic beats of music, narrative words or ideas, whether small or large scaled, her work echoes the intimacy of the process involved and highlights the temporary nature of our feelings through which our experiences and memories are created.

Solo Exhibitions

2022
Being Boring
Spectrum Project Space ECU

2019
Paper Form + Colour
Mobilia

2016
Left to my own devices
Mundaring Arts Centre

Group Exhibitions

2024
small
Stala Contemporary

2024
You Look Good on Paper
Red Gallery VIC

2024
Never Alone: Human, Animal, Artist
Rockingham Arts Centre

2024
A Home Among the Gum Trees
Midland Junction Arts Centre

2024
Paper Trails Between the Lion and the Swan
Sculpture 2052’ Singapore (SAW) Old Customs House Fremantle

2023
A Concentrated Experience
Art Collective WA

2023
60BYSIXTYFOR60
Red Gallery VIC

2023
Slow Emotion Replay
Stala Contemporary

2023
The Donnelly River Verandah Residencies Exhibition
Earlywork Gallery

2023
Bunbury Biennale
Bunbury Regional Gallery

2023
Influence
Lost Eden Creative

2022
Visual Conversations
Nyisztor Gallery

2021
Solastagia
Lost Eden Creative

2021
When I Saw You
Ellenbrook Arts IOTA Curator, Artist

2020
Modern Holiday
Kamile Gallery

2020
Patterning Habit
Lost Eden Gallery Curator, Artist

2020
Tied up with Strings
Mundaring Arts Centre

2020
Between the Eye and the Heart
Lost Eden Gallery

2020
Wide Open Road
Nyisztor Gallery

2019
Scarp
Lost Eden Gallery The Alternative Archive Project

2019
Fifty Squared
Brunswick Gallery VIC

2018
Don't Jettison Everything
Mundaring Arts Centre

Awards

2025
Burnie Print Prize
Finalist

2024
Perth Royal Art Prize for Landscape
Highly Commended Award

2020
York Botanic Art Prize
Highly Commended Award

2018
Ellenbrook Art Award
Runner-Up Award

2018
Town of Claremont Art Award
Finalist

2018
City of Albany Art Award
Finalist

2017
City of Baywater Art Award
Highly Commended Award

2017
Mid West Art Prize
Finalist

2016
City of Bayswater Art Award
Highly Commended Award

Collections

2024 RUAH

2024 St John of God Collection

2021 St John of God Collection

2021 Shire of Mundaring

2020 Kerry Stokes Art Collection

2019 Town of Claremont

Residencies

2023
The Donnelly River Verandah Residency
Donnelly River WA

2017
MJAC Artist Residency
Midland Junction Arts Centre

Sarah Thornton-Smith
Painting, Design

Artist Statement

Imbued with curiosity about the way colour influences our lives, my work attempts to capture a little of what nature enthrals us with in memory, sensation and emotion. Using gradated manipulation of gouache on paper, with sequenced cuts and folds, where light and shadow allude to visual and optical play, patterns emerge to highlight a moment of connection.