From the studio No.42

It's July and the dye garden is bursting with fecundity - of both plants and ideas.

Here’s a very short video of part of the regenerative natural dye, food and medicine garden, it forms a part of the forest garden.

Do you see it as chaotic and overgrown?

Or ABUNDANT?

This garden is full of flora and fauna. Full of dye, medicine and food plants. Here is a list of some of the plants in the video:

Budlia - colour

Rosa rugosa - food, medicine

Fennel - food, medicine, colour

Marshmallow - medicine

Sweet cicily - food

Tansy - colour, medicine

Mugwort - medicine

Elecampane - medicine

Evening primrose - food, medicine

Jostaberry - food

Comfrey - colour, food, medicine

Willow - food

Crab apple - food

It also has deep mineral accumulators and nitrogen fixers. Creating the edge of a forest garden. An edible forest.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY! - FASHION SHOW 17th AUGUST

And a little head’s up. SARAH POLAND is taking part in a fashion show during Aberjazz Jazz n Blues Festival 2025, at the beautiful venue Ffwrn in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

There will be cheese and wine tastings with Feral Pig Wine , DJ’s spinning vinyl and fashion shows from SARAH POLAND, and Jolette Le Roux.

I’ll send more about tickets and details next week when I get the poster.

And there are so many more events to come to let you know about…LONDON, BRIGHTON, OXFORD.

Thank you for following my journey,

My best,

Sarah x

STUDIO JOURNAL 8

From newsletter 27th March.

Vignette (study), 34.5 x 61cm. Botanical inks on gesso panel 2022

I’ve got some grreat news.

After a lengthy and meticulous application for an Arts Council Wales grant, I have now received an email saying that my application has been successful. Hurrah!!

The grant is to create a solo exhibition to be shown at Elysium Gallery in Swansea in 2023. It is a large space and I have lots of ideas. I plan to have two painting installations, one with 3-Dimensional work as well as individual paintings and diptychs. The grant will enable me to commission and collaborate with other creatives as well. For example, I’ll be able to get some professional photography of my work a video documenting my process and a sound commission for an installation. It is very exciting and lots of work to do.

More information about the project will be unveiled over time. The exact date is yet to be confirmed with the gallery, I really hope you will be able to come for the opening night or during opening hours of exhibition. It will of course also be documented online, for those who can’t make it.

Oak gall ink and gesso on paper.

I’ve made a start by making some small studies on gessoed paper, board and panel and although when I start working on a series I don’t look at anyone else’s work, I’m currently re-reading books ‘In Praise Of Painting’ by Ian MacKeever RA, ‘Agnes Martin’ by Frances Morris and Tiffany Bell, ‘Resistance & Persistence Selected Writings by Sean Scully. I’m thinking I’ll look out my book of Bridget Riley’s writings, she writes with such insight on her own work and of other artists’.

I’ve also been watching videos on Youtube of Brice Marden talking about his work. There’s such an incredible archive online.

Studio table

STUDIO JOURNAL 5

From 6th February 2022 newsletter.

I came across this quote/idea the other day on the word impossible, I thought I’d share it with you.

It changes it completely.

“Impossible” has a meaning that imposes huge limitations. But if we split it into two words, it changes that limitation into opportunity. One that we have power over because … I’m Possible.

Impossible Is Nothing.

Mich Bondesio