About Christina Sadler
Hello, I'm Christina, an artist from Gloucester, UK. Painting is my passion, and I enjoy delving into the alchemy of materials, drawing inspiration from nature. The solace I find in this process reflects in my artwork. With a first-class honors degree in fine art, you can acquire my pieces directly via this website or through Wychwood Art Gallery or Saatchi Art.
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My art has been showcased in a pop-up shop in John Lewis. Additionally, I've worked with the NHS and various partners on projects aimed at enhancing mental health, such as creating art to improve interior environments and conducting outreach art sessions for both adults and young people.
EDUCATION
First Class Honours
BA Fine Art and Contemporary Media
University of South Wales
GALLERY
Wychwood Art Gallery,
Deddington, Oxfordshire
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Recent Projects
Read about select projects on the projects page
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- A&E wall vinyl Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
- Breastfeeding room wall vinyl Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
- Creative Cafe Workshop sessions for children unable to attend school
- Young Persons Mental Health Room wall vinyl Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
- "Off We Go" NHS community outreach project
- Warm Spaces Projects Quarry Chapel Outreach
- Arts and Health Project. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Mental Health in Crisis Room.
- John Lewis Cheltenham Pop Up Shop
- Co host at home BBC Radio Gloucestershire
Why I Make
I really believe in the power of creativity to make you feel better. I also believe art can connect us to a time, place and emotion.
Surrounding yourself with objects and art that connect you to happy memories and events can improve how you feel.
Painting is my form of self care, I believe art and creativity can make you feel better, it’s my passion. When I paint I feel calmer, more relaxed and less anxious.
The act of painting forces me to slow down, it requires my full attention, forcing me to live in the present and by doing so i’m able to forget any worries and find a sense of peace. It allows me to express my emotions and offers moments of mindfulness. My finished paintings reflect these moments of calm.
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Inspired by nature
The natural world, its changeability and uncertainty is similar to what we experience in life; Seasons, the tide, storms... there's nothing we can do to change these events but we can find ways to protect ourselves. There's comfort in being reminded that you can control some things but not everything, and sometimes it's about having faith things will change.
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This sensation is reflected in the way I paint, I abandon control, allowing the material to flow and drip, but then protect and rebuild areas by removing and altering the layers. When I paint I think of all of this and it helps me feel restful and calm and these feelings translate into my art for the viewer.
When I'm not making art..
I’m likely to be running after my two young boys, dog and going on long walks, dreaming of the sea. Being outdoors brings with it that breathing space. Family is incredibly important and it was one of the turning points which made me leave my career and follow my dreams.
Find me in the studio
For me the physical act of painting is important in creating. I manipulate the materials I work with, sometimes allowing them to move freely and other times directing them into a space. Therefore creating a balance of control between paint and painter.
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When I paint, I usually paint to music. It helps me to concentrate on the colours, shades, patterns and feelings.
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I mostly paint standing up, it means i can dance (probably badly) but it also allows movement in the work. I pour, drizzle, scrub, remove, drip. Sometimes the work is on the floor, the table or the wall. Wherever the mood takes me.
I’m a messy painter, splodges on the floor, drips on my table, splashes on my clothes. When I see a mark I need to make, if that means I have to wipe the brush on the table or let it drip on the floor - so be it.
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How it began
I’ve always enjoyed being creative, music, art, graphics, woodworking, cooking, those were the things I couldn’t wait to try at school. Exciting visits to galleries, theatres and as I got older live music and gigs.
I went to university to study Fine Art, dreaming of becoming an artist. I graduated with a first class honours degree, took part in group shows, sold work and had my art on the London Underground.
But then I stopped, not straight away, just gradually. Work life and my dream artist life didn’t quite match up.
I ended up working for an art gallery running their education department I gave art workshops and talks for adults and children - and got awarded one of the top 5 friendly family museums in the UK. I learnt about hanging and framing art, how to handle art, how to keep things safe, how to talk about art. I met artists; hobbyists, amateur, and professionals, I even met royalty.
I realised that I wanted to reach people who didn’t access art through galleries or the normal means and that’s when I got a job working in Arts in Health. My proudest moment was organising an arts festival for the opening of a major new hospital. We had singers in waiting areas, poets writing with patients on wards, printmaking along the walk ways, knitting in the cafe, actors performing hospital staff stories.
Family life started and we moved back to our home town of Gloucester. I got a job working in a crafts centre organising classes and workshops. I adored meeting everyone, chatting and seeing what they had created.
But, although it meant that i was surrounded by creatives and I had always seen myself as being creative, ironically I wasn’t physically making full time.
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The turning point was when I lost my nan. We were incredibly close and I struggled to cope. I was given a journal. The journal said to set small goals. I decided to set the goal "be creative again". I picked up a paintbrush and just started documenting anything that inspired me. Immediately it helped, I felt so much happier when I was painting and just having fun making things.
Work also started getting in the way of family. My son started school and I promised a film night to celebrate his first week. I ended up losing track of time and once i got home he was in bed. I have always said don't chase the money just do what you love, life's too short to do things you don't enjoy. I realised I needed to follow my dreams and by doing that I could also be there for my family.
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