Sarah Graham’s Tasty Treats
Sarah Graham has been busy painting tasty new pieces for her autumn release. Here she is explains the ideas behind each piece.
“After the success of ‘Lollipop Carousel’ I bought my very own miniature chupa chups carousel in a sweet shop, and always planned to work from it. I spent a long time working from various angles, taking hundreds of photos, and endlessly rearranging the lollies to get the best contrast. I thought it would be a lot more straightforward than the photo I used for ‘Lollipop Carousel’, which was in fact a cropped holiday snapshot peering through a vending machine in Great Yarmouth. In fact I now realise I had too many options. In the end, I decided the pairing and slight shift in focus between these two lollies worked really well, I especially liked the lens flare in this image, as it allowed me to incorporate lots of blurred transitions throughout the vibrant red backdrop, which is essentially just the plastic stand the lollipops are displayed in.”
“The title [Top of the Pop] is a little nod to one of my all time favourite TV shows growing up, and of course chupas being the brand leader when it comes to lollipops! Occupying stands on just about every shop counter here and abroad! The stand is still full in my studio, I’m not tempted by them as I’m more of a ‘pic n mix’ girl, rather than anything hard boiled, I’d far rather paint a chupa chup than eat one!”
Top of the Pops by Sarah Graham
“This painting followed on from ‘Sweet Mayhem’ painted in 2010. I wanted to recreate the movement again as a result of the tumbling effect of the sweets pouring from the jar. As opposed to the landscape composition of the previous piece, this time I wanted the effect of a ‘waterfall’ of cascading sweets, hence the portrait format. The most complicated section was the out of focus foreground, it was important the soft focus was executed well so as not to distract the eye, so that at first the viewer is drawn to the central section, then left to scan the rest of the canvas. I generally work left to right, top to bottom, so this section was last to be tackled, and I knew if I messed it up the whole piece would suffer…so no pressure!”
Sarah Graham's new release celebrated with sweets!
“As for subjects, I included some of my personal favourite sweeties in this one, pink shrimps and jelly beans, and opted for a jar with a red ribbon to add another dimension and texture to the piece. This addition leant itself well to the slightly seductive title too, as if the jar itself is tempting you to its goodies pouring out before you…”
Sweet Temptation by Sarah Graham
For more information about Sarah Graham and her work visit
Sarah Graham at Artworx Gallery
Alternatively ring 01543 502971 or email info@artworx.co.uk
