ABOUT CRAZY RAH ART:
ABOUT CRAZY RAH ART: SARAH STOTT
Many people ask why 'Crazy Rah?'
Well, once upon a time I was at art college and there were two Sarahs in our group of friends. It was decided that she would become 'Sar' and I would be 'Rah' and yes, she was the sensible one, whilst I was a little crazy.
Let me tell you about my art...
If you had asked me in 2016 about my art I would have responded with "I am a printmaker - lino cutting is my poison. I love how I can control every aspect of the work I produce. My work explores my demons with food and my feelings of self worthlessness."
Today I will tell you "I am an artist with a passion for texture and spontaneity and, as much as I am a printmaker, I am also a painter. A painter that creates large, vivid, colourful, abstract paintings that explore a freedom that I have never had before with my art. I have put the food demons into a 'box' and they no longer consume my creative mind. I have found a way to express my love for life, my love of colour and my obsession with texture to become large, vivid, kaleidoscopic canvas of provocative texture."
My process is an extremely organic one, I chose a texture then start mark making, however at this point I start listen to what the canvas wants and needs. I never work with a design/image in my mind. I totally immerse myself into the canvas and let the creativity flow instinctively. This is also the same way I add colour to my canvas.
The textures I use are many and varied from shredded paper to grit, the rule of thumb is if I can use it, I will. I tend to add the texture with a pallet knife however if it makes a mark then I will use it. I find that everyday items make amazing texture, I love an orange bag net.
I use many different types of paint, once my texture has dried I will spray paint the canvas choosing the colours I think ‘she’ needs (yes my canvases are girls) sometimes this can be a long process as ‘she’ doesn’t always agree with my choices. I then will work with acrylic paint and ink and slowly build lots of layers of colour, my final layer is always a glass paint and this is what gives my canvases their shine.
Working on a large scale is amazing, however not everyone has the space to hang such large pieces of original abstract art. So I had an idea……
Cut them up, yes, you read that correctly, cut the large ones up! Drastic? Stupid? Brave?
I cut my large paintings into 15 x 15 cm pieces then frame them individually. I give them a part number, so if you ever wanted to collect them all you could glue them together and have a large painting again.
Not only can you get an original piece of my work, to fit in most gaps on your wall, you could also own your favourite part of my paintings.
