Wendy Sandeman

Based in Cockenzie, East Lothian. Curious about life and art. Inspired by nature, experiences and memories to create meaningful, abstract paintings.
I explore themes using an abstract visual language which has developed over time through my art practice. Quiet time and space allows for the subject to emerge, grow and develop into a body of work. I look at what interests me and personalise it, drawing on an inner world of memories, lived experiences and life reflections. When I create, I pull the work out of the internal place of imagination and contemplation. There is a creative energy which I can feel and when I am in the flow, the work emerges and takes shape.
I work in mixed media – oils, acrylic, collage, charcoal, oil pastels, pencil, ink. My printmaking training has influenced the way I apply paint with elements of mono-printing, stencilling and engraved lines. My works are on stretched canvas, wooden panels or watercolour paper mounted on canvas.
I build layers, tearing, cutting, splashing, laying down paint and scraping it back. I put down and I take away and the work goes through many stages. Periods of intense manipulation are balanced with moments of quiet reflection when I edit and refine. I love the physicality of paint and the power of colour and my current work is about developing refinement and sophistication in using mixed media in an expressive and dynamic way.