Sarah Woods A Quiet Lanndscape

30 Jan-21 Mar 2026

Calm Shore, Lelant. Credit: Sarah Woods

Overview

These small-scale works sit at the heart of her process, where inner and outer worlds meet and observations of land and sea are distilled into gesture, colour and form.

Working directly from the landscape, Woods uses single brushstrokes and carefully mixed hues to evoke feeling rather than description. Her works on paper function as both exploration and record – testing composition, atmosphere and tonal relationships that later inform larger paintings. She is drawn to overlooked moments: mid-winter light, shifting skies, and subtle transitions between sea and land along the west coast. Soft greens, dusty pink sunsets, and nuanced blues sit alongside warmer notes of Naples yellow, creating works that are gentle yet confident in their forms.

“Using a single mark or brushstroke, I try to capture a feeling of the landscape – its light, movement and stillness,” Woods explains.

Materiality plays an important role throughout her practice. Linen, canvas and the movement of paint echo the textures and rhythms of the coast, resulting in a thoughtful and atmospheric exhibition that prioritises sensation, stillness and emotional resonance over literal representation.

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