Sara Siân is an exclusive and well-established mixed-media artist based in South Africa.

“My creative focus as an artist is my love of African wildlife and its people. A need to convey the ‘raw’ beauty and emotion of my subject matter is my main aim. It is important to me that my work connects with people in some shape or form”.

Sara Siân Art Gallery & Studio

Set in a beautiful historic home in the heart of George.

Gallery visits and studio tours are
warmly welcomed by appointment
 

 

Whimsical artwork of girl surrounded by words and foliage and staring into the distance thinking of memories gone by.

‘I Am Hopelessly In Love With A Memory’

Charcoal, oil and mixed media on canvas

46cm x 46cm, framed

closeup of painting of face of woman

‘I Have Become Myself’

This new  print has been added to the collection

If you like what you see, why not keep in touch?

I’ll send you a newsletter about once a month with preview access to new artwork, the latest studio news and invitations to exhibitions & shows.

I post many of my ideas and processes on Instagram. If you’re interested in studio shots, works in progress and insights into my ideas and thought process then please do click on the ‘Follow on Instagram’ button above to keep me company on my art journey.

Gift Certificates

Art is a timeless gift that can enrich the life of the recipient for years to come.

A piece of original art or a limited edition print is a wonderful gift for a loved one or something special for a couple to gift to each other, however, art is a very personal thing and for that reason a Gift Certificate can be the perfect solution.

Available in digital format, you can choose to email it to the recipient or you could print it out at home and present it in person. They can then browse this website and choose the perfect piece to grace their home.

Gift Certificate

Art Gift Certificates 

BEHIND THE SCENES

 

My Process:

I have always had a love of charcoal and whilst I love to mix mediums and also love paint, charcoal is a constant.  It is expressive whilst also enabling detail and a softness which allows both an abstract or realistic, but sensitive feel. 

The gold leaf that features in many of my works brings a richness and life to a piece. Its delicacy symbolizes the the delicacy of life and yet the gold colour symbolizes wealth and strength. The contradiction is not purely incidental. Gold leaf has become almost a ‘signature’ of mine in many ways. It’s flimsiness makes it quite hard and extremely messy to work with but with undeniably beautiful results.  Recently I have started mixing charcoal and various other mediums in a more abstract way – splashing paint on the canvas or board in a free, expressive way initially and then drawing the face in charcoal on top. More layers of paint, pastels, collage, rubbing back and repeating to recreate ‘layers of time and experience’ and to remind us that none of us are simply what we see on the surface.  It delves into history, the lives gone before us, layers of time rubbed back and painted over. Words and meaning obscured but still a hint remain as a reminder of what once was.

My love of mark making is an important part of my process – line and collage have featured in my work since my college years. These marks are my own, unique, expressive and often so intuitive that I can’t explain the ‘why’ behind each mark other than it simply ‘felt right’ at the time.

 

The End Result:

Always female, my portraits aspire to capture the essence, sensuality and inner ‘Goddess’ that I feel all women inherently possess – regardless if it is exuded as bold defiance or a quiet inner calm, it is there nonetheless.  There is meaning in the symbolism and mark making in each individual piece which accentuates the rawness of the emotion conveyed.

“I want people to feel the intensity and emotion that I am trying to convey in each piece of artwork… for them to admire the beauty but to also experience the soul of each individual creation”.