By Shya Beth
Sarah Lockwood-Taylor’s expansive knowledge of art and interior design has culminated into a strong ability to create exquisitely detailed linocut prints. Enriched by the cultures Sarah has experienced living in six countries over the last 27 years, her career as a fine artist found its beginnings in Nigeria in the late 1990s.
“When our family moved to Nigeria for my husband’s career, it was a major life, work and culture change for me,” she said. “I painted a lot there because painting is something I love to do, and it’s portable! It’s a great way of capturing the vast experience of culture—the rich colors and textures, the nature and sounds and movement that surrounds you in a new place.”
While living in Nigeria for three years, Sarah received national attention for her work following an exhibit at the British High Commission, which further cemented her interest in pursuing fine art. Sarah created many large embroideries of her paintings, taught art classes and helped charities in the area. Her embroidery work was a callback to her previous illustrious career as a textile designer. She had worked with several of the largest and most influential companies through her work for Coats Viyella, including Marks & Spencer, BHS and Debenhams, while working alongside top designers like Ally Capellino and Helen Story.
Art Before the Horse
Receiving her diploma in textile design in 1988 from Worthing College of Art & Design and graduating with honors in textile design from Derbyshire University in 1992 laid the foundation for Sarah’s career within the textile industry. Designing for ladies, men and children, as well as interiors, her personal impact on the UK interior design stands out.
“We were among the first to design, source and manufacture Indian textile and homeware designs for Marks & Spencer,” she explained. “Working alongside three others, we became the first in England to manufacture western Indian goods in high-street stores. I feel as if I have always been a full-time artist since college, whether it was through textiles or other creative mediums.”
Moving back to England with her family—including children Georgie, 22 months old, and Harrison, 5 weeks old—in 2000, Sarah started designing for the emerging boutique hotel sector. While raising her two children, she helped establish Blue Touch Trading, an interior design company where she designed handcrafted embroideries and high-end materials for bedding and lighting. However, just a few short years after moving back to her home country, Sarah found herself on a new adventure in Malaysia—and this is where horses started to become a centerpiece of her life.
“Art came first, then the horse, then the equine art,” she explained. “As a child, I always desired to learn to ride, but it wasn’t until I started working full time that I started to learn the basics. When my daughter turned 6 years old, we were living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and we both started riding together. I started to paint again, but it was not till a few years later, in 2007, when we moved to Singapore, that I started to explore painting and silk-screening. And it wasn’t till after we moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2010 when we finally owned our first horse.”
Life of Horse Art
Calling New Jersey home for the time being, Sarah’s life is the same, but different. Horses are front and center in her career, now as a full-time fine artist and printmaker working in the detail-oriented medium of linocuts. Linocut is a printmaking technique that includes carefully carving a design into a linoleum block. Ink is then rolled onto the block, and the design is hand printed onto the paper. This medium is used often in textile design, so it’s no wonder that Sarah was drawn to this process for fine art. One of the aspects of her work that sets it apart from others is the large scale, uncommon to this medium, which translates equestrian images so well.
“In my linocuts, I wanted to bring alive the deep connection horses and humans have and capture these feelings for a lifetime. To carve in linoleum takes time and patience. I enjoy working with the many contrasts it offers—depth, light, space. These combine to create character, power, uniqueness and a deep connection with the work. You never know exactly where the form takes you, but it’s always exciting and rewarding to do the first hand-pulled print.”
The last six years have been a journey of professional highlights for Sarah, with eight 6- by-6-foot works of art commissioned for the USEF office lobby in Kentucky, 11 pieces hanging in the Paddock Club at the World Equestrian Center in Ohio and working with equestrian clothing company Ariat International and US Equestrian to produce a limited-edition product line with her artwork. She also works within the hospitality and VIP tents to display her work at events like the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, American Gold Cup, Kentucky National and other events, her most recent showcase being a solo exhibition at the Ram Gallery in New Jersey from January 10 to March 3.
With many artistic goals for the future, spending time with their horses is a daily act of inspiration. “I used to ride, then became the groom for my daughter when she competed before she left for college to pursue a doctorate,” she said. “I do like to work the horses from the ground and enjoy natural horsemanship and Masterson body work with horses. But I did have a sneaky stroll on my daughter’s horse, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood named Cha-Cha, last week, so maybe I will be back in the saddle soon!”
For more information, visit sarahlockwoodtaylor.com or follow @sarahlockwoodtaylor on Instagram
Photographer Stefano Grasso
Photo by US Equestrian
