Introducing Sahra from Sahra Raward Artist. Where every item is handmade!! From her home in Fingal Heads, NSW, Sahra is an abstract artist, getting inspiration from everything around her.
Find out why Sahra started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
I love painting flowers, they just come to me naturally. Painting with watercolour is my favourite but I also enjoy acrylic painting and painting on silk fabric. My creative process is intuitive and spontaneous - I rarely begin with a drawing or reference image, instead allowing memory and imagination to guide each piece. Through the gradual layering of colour and form, I aim to capture a sense of depth, vibrancy, and colours found in the nature around me.
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
I have been creating my whole life and I have been lucky to have built businesses that fuel my creativity. I have been a florist, wedding decorator, wedding bouquet preservationist and now a full-time artist. I also love running the business side, having been in business for myself my whole career I enjoy learning and adapting as technology and social media evolves, there is always something new to learn to keep up with this digital age.
Finding the balance between being creative and the challenges of running a business is a constant work in progress but one that gives me so much pleasure.
In the last few years I have begun teaching painting workshops - this has given me so much joy. Sharing my love of painting and creativity with others is something I plan to explore further and farther afield next year.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
Flowers, colour and nature. Walking by a florist or the flowers in the supermarket, gum trees with dangling leaves and vibrant pink blossoms or the rough banksia nuts that grow along the riverbank as I walk in the morning.
Inspiration is everywhere.
Where did you learn your craft?
I am self-taught, I research extensively, and try everything, some things work and some things don't, but I love the process of figuring out an art form and trying to adapt it in my own style. There is also a lot of practice and studying - I paint every day, and I love every moment of that.
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
I believe that creativity is at the heart of us all - it just shows up in different ways - maybe it's cooking, carpentry, gardening, interior design or fashion, creativity comes in so many forms.
For me the most natural thing is to create and keep busy using my hands.
What an honour it is to have something I created adorn someone's wall and be admired forever.
Sahra is a much loved member of the MadeIt Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ The Handmade Marketplace of Australia ~ and sharing their new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Sahra Raward Artist, make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
