Sarah Mulder: Paints with Florals

Canadian Sarah Mulder is a full-time jewelry designer and artist, designing and creating from her Gastown studio in Downtown Vancouver. Her technique and love of florals combine to create stunning works that are equal parts captivating and beautiful.

What follows is an interview with these talented creative.

1. Tell us about your personal and educational background.

As soon as I picked up a crayon, it was all I ever needed in life. And I was lucky that my parents nurtured my love for art. When I was 16 my mom bid on a college drawing course through a silent auction and my passion for becoming a working artist was sparked there.

During my last year at Langara College, I studied in Europe. In and out of museums and galleries, traveling to new exciting places—my eyes were opened and I fell deeper in love with life. In 2005 I received a BFA from Emily Carr University and showed work in cafes, boutiques, restaurants, galleries and theaters then left work an elementary school in 2011 to create art and jewelry. I’ve been growing those businesses ever since.

2. How did you get into painting, and specifically florals?

Out of school I was fascinated by architecture. I used recycled fabrics, sewing and manipulating the canvas. They were really tough on my body and at some point my mom said, “I really think you should be painting flowers, they’re so happy.” When I tried a floral piece, it felt like a release of structure and rules. But after a few years of taking commissions, I was again applying too many rules to my canvases, trying to paint the flowers as a perfect representation. My peer Lisa Ochowych’s  abstract painting course helped me to let go of habits I formed and shift to the way I’m currently creating.

3. What are your inspirations?

Whether it’s a drip of water down the side of a window or sun rays casting shadows through leaves, from the time I wake up and leave my apartment to when I settle in my studio for the day, I look for moments that spark joy. My pencil is an important part of my practice, like a symphony conductor’s baton leading me through a full body of movement. Taking an abstract thought and forming a relationship with it until it becomes something is a beautiful process.

4. What other artists do you admire?

Looking through the eyes of people with different skill-sets awakens my creativity and shifts my thinking. Tanis Saxby, Diane Rudge and Kenny Nguyen give me space to daydream about texture and form; while glass artist Dale Chihuly and media art by Refik Anadol inspire me to push color outside my comfort zone. I admire floral arrangements by Jüergen Birchler, Suzanne Saroff, Pül Flower LA and Doan Ly. And I love the fun feeling that radiates from Janna Watson’s abstract canvases, the push and pull of paint, and the pops of color. I’m lucky to be part of an amazing art community in Vancouver, with female peers like Meghan Bustard, Amy Stewart and Dana Mooney, for whom I have deep admiration and who give me confidence in my own practice.

5. What is the process—technically, emotionally, logistically—that goes into making a piece?

Usually I start with quick sketches of potential layouts, tape them to the wall and pull out floral photographs. I love painting or drawing throughout the life of a stem. Capturing a vivacious life and honoring it is the goal behind my work. I find so much beauty in the last stages with florals: the wrinkles, the textures, how they lose their poise but instead settle into a beautiful sigh of relief. It takes me an hour to mix colors on my pallet, which consists of clear acrylic medium and different shades of whites and pinks. I sometimes like using my paints like water color and sometimes like oil and I love how fast acrylic paint dries because I like moving quickly throughout a painting. Typically under the first layer of paint there’s a sketch of the layout, and then I dig right in, only looking at reference photos from time to time while I paint.

 

6. What galleries are you in? Where can readers find your work?

My work can be seen privately in my Gastown Studio in Vancouver, or online www.sarahmulderfineart.com on Instagram @sarahmulderart / www.sarahmulder.com (jewelry) @sarahmulderjewelry

info@sarahmulder.com for inquiries.

I also sell my work through Nomad Gallery in White Rock, BC and The Coast Goods in Vancouver, BC

7. What are your goals/plans for the near future?

I will have a full body of artwork to show in 2024. I’m also eager to work with interior designers on custom work. Creating large floral drawings and sending them to their homes is a wonderful practice for me. And, for the first time I’ll soon be making limited art prints and cards available through my website.