Spotlight.
SARAH KWAN
INTRODUCTION
Award winning Sarah Kwan Artist is a freelance Artist and Illustrator based in Edinburgh who specialises in illustration, design, fine art commissions, murals, painted window displays and signwriting. Her most recent ‘East Meets West Series’, explores the connections between Scottish / Western and Chinese culture in a fun and playful way - with decorative patterns and pops of bright colour. She recently appeared in BBC Scotland’s LOOP series which showcases her work and her Scottish Chinese upbringing.
She graduated with BA Hons Fine Art Drawing & Painting from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in 2008 and exhibited in galleries such as The Royal Scottish Academy and The Scottish National Portrait Gallery. She also won The Independent Award Category of The Creative Edinburgh Awards 2021.
INTERVIEW
How did you get into being an artist? and what initially inspired you?
I seem to always have been interested in art since I was a little child, I was forever drawing or making things with scraps of paper or writing stories with drawings that went alongside them. Making things was just something that seemed to come out so naturally, so perhaps there isn't any one moment that I can pin point where I was inspired to become and artist - it was just something that already was if that makes sense! I knew that innate feeling to create was always there.
What themes do you tend to interrogate in your work?
The one theme I keep returning back to since I was a teenager is the one of 'identity', specifically about my own experiences as a British Born Chinese person and the perception of my Chinese heritage. I think it was and is a way to help me understand and learn about my sense of belonging and where I fit into this world - and that ultimately we all belong here and have a place. There was a level of darkness in the interrogation of this theme in my work from Art College, during the years where I was just beginning to understand myself. Fast forward to the present day, my longest running series called 'East meets West' is my way of presenting all the wonderful connections between my experience of Western and Chinese culture, human connections of joy and humour and light.
What is your favourite project you've ever worked on and why?
That’s a really difficult one as I’ve worked on quite a few over the years and there are aspects of each that I love, I loved the time and space I had at Art College to oil paint my degree show series - but my ongoing ‘East meets West’ series is my current favourite. I love being able to be connect with people through this series, to hear their reactions and stories, it’s a lot of fun to create new designs - and I’m always excited to share them.
What advice would you give to artists of colour looking to get into the creative industries?
If this is the industry you have your mind set on, then don't let anyone deter you from it. Make time to research and learn the things you need to learn in order to do what you need to do. One things I've realised as a freelance artist, is that having the mentality that you can basically achieve anything - is the mindset that you need to have. Don't wait to be ready, just start doing! Need a website? Then go and research how to build a website: what has good reviews, what you can afford long term and so on - and just go for it. What's the worse that could happen, fail? Failing is just learning until you're winning. Keep believing in yourself and your own abilities, take responsibility for your own actions - and be open to taking on feedback and new opportunities! I wish you the best of luck!
What are you currently working on?
I just finished creating my latest 'Lucky White Rabbit' design to celebrate Lunar New Year, it’s the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac. I'll be carrying on with more designs in my current series, as well as private commission work - and I'm excited to also be setting up my new art studio.