Meet textile designer and artist Sarah Cooper.
Sarah loves food, and particularly loves cooking for other people, which is fitting – “when I’m not daydreaming about my next creative idea, I’m a chef at a local restaurant,” she says.
Sarah would love to travel. ‘Visiting Barcelona and New York has given me the travel bug, and I’d love to visit more places around the globe…’
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I’m a draw-er, painter and textile designer from a little village in Yorkshire. I’m 24 and studied BSc (Hons) Textile Design at the University of Huddersfield.
I want to set up my own design business, freelancing and designing. I have worked in industry, producing bed linen for high street retailers. My work is often nature-themed, inspired by the countryside, and it has an illustrative feel.
I also love photography and want to invest in more cameras to capture inspiring things!
What are your inspirations?
The natural world is somewhere I look for inspiration. There is nothing better than sitting with a sketchbook and a set of watercolours on a sunny afternoon, taking in your surroundings.
I love birds and wildlife and they often appear in my drawings. These then translate into print and repeating patterns that can be printed onto fabrics.
What is your favourite piece of work you have produced?
I think my favourite collection is my most recent. Illustrated birds, insects and wildlife are mixed with a black and white theme to produce some contemporary fashion fabrics. I am so pleased with the feedback, its presentation and the success of the original concept.
Who is your favourite ‘creative’ in your chosen field?
I have many. I really like the works produced by Salvador Dali and Antoni Gaudi. I love interesting and complicated pieces and was privileged to see these up-close in Barcelona.
In the design world, I like Mary Katrantzou for her fantastic use of print and pattern.
Visit Sarah’s website and see more of her work here.
All images © Sarah Cooper. To view the images in clearer detail, click on them.
