Sarah Jayne Fell

Artist Statement

My work explores personal myth through painting as a process-led, expressionist practice. It begins in a space between selves – a dialogue between the intuitive act of making and the reflective, editorial mind that shapes and resolves. Between the Two of Us is an ongoing series that speaks to the multiplicity of self in dialogue with relationship and intimacy. I am interested in dualities – conscious and unconscious, control and surrender, logic and feeling – not as oppositions to resolve but as forces held in tension. These internal dynamics often mirror our relationships, where connection and misunderstanding, projection and reflection unfold. In my art-making I particularly enjoy expressionism, finding inspiration in nature and organic processes, incorporating figurative elements that draw on archetype, psychology and emotion, with an underlying mythos connecting each work within its own creative universe. Painting instinctively and intuitively, I incorporate experimentation and exploration, tapping into a flow state that prioritises process over product, finding beauty in imperfection and allowing emergent forms to surface. As the work develops, a tension emerges between editor and artmaker, control and randomness, and I develop conceptual narratives through layered colour and mark-making – from palette knife and scratching to watery glazes, printing, stamping, ink drawing and detailed painting. This approach invites chance and requires trust, allowing unexpected forms to emerge. Colour and light act as guiding forces, carrying emotional and symbolic weight, while imagery draws from dreams, journaling, memory and subconscious associations. Each painting forms part of an evolving visual language – a personal yet shared mythology, reflecting on identity, connection and transformation in the space between self and other, where meaning emerges through process in a dialogue between expression and intention, to find joy in the mystery of the creative act.