I typically fall out of bed. To be honest, working in the studio every day is pretty messy, so I tend to wear a rotation of jeans and jumpers. I am lucky enough to have a very good spread of Chinti Essentials which tends to do the trick (that is not a plug, I have been a fan of the brand since they started and I really do buy at least one new ‘Essential’ sweater every season so I don’t have to worry about not having my literal uniform to hand. In the winter I will sometimes wear one on top of another.
After dropping the kids at school, I head straight to Highgate Ladies' Pond. I try not to miss a day. I am slightly one of those mad zealots with full neoprene kit. It is a proper routine involving a flask of sweet tea afterwards.
Then I head to my studio where I stay all day. I would say that my practice is centered around painting but heavily influenced by textiles. This isn’t surprising given I was a fashion designer for 15 years before doing my MA in Fine Art Painting at Slade School of Art in 2016.
CHINTI & FRIENDS: SARA BERMAN
It’s difficult to say when I started to define myself as an artist as I have always been a creative. I think I prefer to define myself as a 'maker' as I have always made things. I did an art foundation course and for various reasons went on from there to study fashion at Central Saint Martins in the mid ‘90s. This was an amazingly creative time to work in fashion and the crossover to art wasn’t such a huge divide. Obviously running a fashion business is very different and the ‘art’ side got lost. I maintained my drawing and painting practice in a small way and eventually it grew until it took over my interest in fashion as a business.
I really enjoy the total freedom I have in making my work within the boundaries of my choosing. I set the rules and decide when to break them. I also enjoy the very solitary nature of my days. People always ask if it is lonely, but I really enjoy the space and time to think and make without the distractions of other people around me.
I don’t tend to realise it during the process, but when I look back on work with some distance,
I can see that I was dealing with life issues at the time. I suppose that is the downside. I find it very hard to cut off on a day to day basis and I don’t really like going on holidays which take me out of the studio for periods of time. That said, I find that the work always benefits from a proper break and I come back to the studio after time away and see fresh solutions to problems I had been getting caught up in.
It would be a sunny day and I would relax afterwards in the meadow with my thermos of tea and a book letting the chill leave my bones and the sun warm my skin. Then I would go home to the family and make whatever dish I have memorised recently for lunch which everyone would eat.
This is clearly spiralling into fantasy as I have never made anything that every member of my family is happy with but hey, this is my day. After lunch, I would go to an exhibition with one child. I love being one on one with them. And after we would go get a coffee and snack before heading home for a mellow evening with friends popping in for a super informal (read takeaway) dinner.
Find out more at sarabermanartist.com
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