Sara Lee Roberts
- Faculty
- Alumni, 2008
Biography
Sara studied at Byam Shaw School of Art and Sussex University. She then trained as a restorer at the Hamilton Kerr Institute at Cambridge University. As a restorer she worked on paintings at the Wallace Collection and the Royal Collection. On moving to Paris she decided to paint full time and made work which led to her first solo show. She has exhibited widely, has won the Discerning Eye Prize and has paintings in public collections. In 2008 she studied at the Royal Drawing School on The Drawing Year postgraduate programme, where she won the Paintings in Hospitals Prize. She has taught adults on a one-to-one basis for many years and since 2013 has been teaching painting and drawing at the Royal Drawing School. This year she was chosen to be an artist in residence at Dumfries House in Scotland.
On drawing
Drawing involves editing our experience and perception of reality to create an image. It should involve mark making which is unique to the artist. Much of what I teach in a drawing class could equally be applied to painting, for I agree with Matisse, 'You paint when you draw and you draw when you paint'. My own drawings are made in order to be able to make paintings. I encourage students to become more confident in their mark making and show them how to translate what they see into a meaningful image. I structure each class around the writings of other artists and encourage students to read the books that I have found helpful. I encourage students to work in between classes on small, fast drawings in order to consolidate what they have learnt in the class.
