Sally Thompson trained in London and taught Art there for many years, before her three children were born. Moving to rural North Northumberland at the end of the 90s she observed the extraordinary effects of Northumberland light upon land, sea and sky, gradually refining her technique to the point at which the subtle interplay of colours transcends the need for pictorial detail.
Widely travelled, Sally has also been able to draw upon sketch books and records of many and varied sea and landscapes, worldwide.
Sally’s canvases range from the icy pastel colours of the Northumberland winter, to the warm oranges and pinks of tropical sunsets. There are canvases to suit all interiors, but such is the comprehensiveness of Sally’s understanding of colour that she is also able to create a painting to order, with a particular colour scheme in mind. This is not to reduce art to mere interior decoration; no art is free from constraints and Sally is able to work within the constraints of a prescribed colour scheme, to create an individual work of art which looks particularly well in a given setting. Photographs or memories of places can be starting points for commissions.
Paintings are in oil or acrylic. The canvases are most frequently hung without frames, the edge of the canvas being either a complementary plain colour or a continuation of the painting. The paintings also hang in oiled wood frames, in more traditional and decorative settings, where they add an element of tranquillity amidst the busyness of decorative detail. In the right setting they are seen to advantage in swept gilt frames, often, as with the Impressionists, with a light covering of whitewash.
Sally is a member of the Aurora Project and Network Artists.
Artist's Statement
Minimalist, near abstract paintings which are colour studies of the constantly changing sky, sea and landscape, often using paint layering and impasto techniques.
