Sara Juel Andersen: The Illusion of Movement
Sara Juel Andersen is a Danish artist based in London. She creates meticulously layered drawings of fluid objects, observing the dimensional currents present within liquid, solid, and gaseous forms. The results are artworks of fascinating visual depth, composed of in-between colors that create a dreamlike mood.
By Yoojin Shin
Turbulent Flow / Algae Bloom 2 (2021)
Color Pencil On Paper
16 cm x 22.5 cm
Ms. Sara Juel Andersen, welcome to The Baram House! Please briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hey, thanks for having me! I’m Sara, I’m a danish artist currently living and working in London. I’d mostly consider myself a painter, but recently I’ve been making a lot of color pencil drawings.
Jungfrau (2021)
Color Pencil on Paper
17 cm x 13.5 cm
Available
When and how did you begin creating?
It’s difficult to say when exactly I started creating, I think I’m the type of person who needs to keep their hands active. Although, I would say that I started taking my creative practice seriously in my mid/late-twenties, when I made a conscious decision to change my career.
You obtained a Bachelor’s in Prehistoric Archaeology, then later went on to obtain a Master’s in Fine Arts. Please tell us a little bit about what motivated the shift of your career focus.
The idea of being an artist had been with me since high school, but when I was young it seemed impractical and naïve. So, instead I perused a more academic path, studying and working within the field of archaeology. And although I enjoyed many aspects of archaeology, it can be both practical, explorative and at times speculative, I still longed to make to make things. I decided to make a break from archaeology and try figure out if I could structure my life around a creative practice.
The sea, and perhaps the contours of the earth underneath, stand out as motifs throughout your recent works. What inspired you to begin exploring these motifs?
Watery landscapes have been a very dominant motif in my work for the past few years. I enjoy creating weird and ambiguous landscapes that seem almost alien. I am fascinated by the way our natural environment can be both revered romantically and somehow also a source of disgust and guilt, and I want my works to draw you in and weird you out at the same time. I’ve also been obsessed with landscapes seen from above, which can be disorienting but it also evokes a very contemporary and domineering perspective of our environment.
Slightly Positive Change (2021)
Color Pencil on Paper
18.5 cm x 20.5 cm
Available
To the Ocean (2020)
Oil on Canvas
130 cm x 170 cm
Available
The texture created by layering color pencils has a soft, feathery effect that cannot be emulated by paint. I imagine the most difficult part of it is to choose the colors that would combine to produce a different shade of color altogether—for example, the yellow-grey-white wash of Slightly Positive Change. How do you go about selecting the colors and how do you layer them so that each color filters through?
I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with color and texture in my recent works on paper, and I agree it is quite different than what can be achieved with paint.
In regard to my process, it’s just been a lot of trial and error. I will always have a scrap piece of paper next to me where I try layering different colors and seeing what colors they produce. I suppose it is like playing with the optics of color, kind of like what the Pointillists did in the late 19th century, but messier and less controlled! The layering of colors also results in a somewhat shimmering effect, giving an illusion of movement, which I think adds to the liveliness of the otherwise still image.
Materials: what brands are your favorites in paper, color pencils, and oil paint?
I see material preferences as something that slowly develops and progresses over years. I’ve been painting for quite a few years, so I have developed habits and preferences. I will travel around London visiting different art shops getting exactly the materials I want. Canvas from one shop, size or primer from another, paint from a third and so on. In regards to my drawings, I’m still in the early stages of figuring things out and developing habits. So, I’d be open to suggestions!
Algae Bloom 3 (2021)
Color Pencil on Paper
16 cm x 19 cm
Red Tide 2 (2021)
Color Pencil and Oil Pastel on Paper
14 cm x 15 cm
Available
What has been the most important factor in progressing your career as an artist?
This is another thing I’m still figuring out! I graduated last year, and I felt a lot of pressure to push my career forwards quickly, but to be honest I didn’t feel that I was in the right head space to do that (and also, we were in the middle of a pandemic!). So, I decided to have a period of introversion, and spend some time figuring out what I wanted to make, before pushing it into the real world. Recently, I’ve been more comfortable and extroverted with my practice. I’ve been applying to lots of open calls and having people over for studio visits. I am also luck to live in a city like London and to have lots creative and interesting friends, who are eager to support each other.
In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of being an emerging artist?
Finding a balances between doing what I want and wanting to be seen. The latter may seem superficial, just about getting likes on Instagram or trying to get noticed by the right galleries, but it’s also about recognizing that as artist we aren’t the romanticized version of the hermit/genius/artist. We live in the world (be it the art world or the real world), and therefore need to respond and react to it, and also allow ourselves to be influenced.
But why do you keep creating anyway?
Because I want to, and I’m lucky and privileged enough to have the means and stability to do so.
Waves (2021)
Color Pencil on Paper
25 cm x 22 cm
Available
