BIOGRAPHY
British-Australian artist and illustrator Sarah Beetson received a first-class BA in Illustration from Falmouth College of Arts. The artist spends most of her year in Queensland, Australia, returning to the UK for the remaining months. Her visual designs are playful and incite delight and wonder. With a plethora of major clients in fashion, editorial and publishing, Beetson also shows her visual artwork in galleries around the world. Beetson was offered a placement in couture embroidery for John Galliano at Dior in Paris, turning it down to instead setup her own market stall, selling her printed and hand painted t-shirt designs in Camden Town spearheading her independent career.
A self-prescribed “Rainbow Crusader”, the artist travels frequently, creating and exhibiting at home and on the road with mini easel in hand, an inspired and spontaneous existence that translates in her whimsical pieces. Beetson achieves her graphic creations using spray paint, tissue paper and/or collage as a base, which is applied to paper, wood, photographic print or fabric. She then draws the linework using Pilot G Tec C pens. The image is rounded off with a full range of mixed media that can include acryl-gouache, markers, gel pens, crayon, stickers, vintage magazine clippings, beads, sequins, Letraset to name a few.
While her resources are vast, from out of her seemingly chaotic methodology emerges glorious illustration work that finely balances colour, line and texture for a unique effect. Pop culture and vintage influences resonate throughout Beetsons’s work. The artist credits her inspiration to ideology of space travel, culture of Coney Island, Americana, and film director John Waters as well as artists like Antoni Gaudi, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Julie Verhoeven, David Downton, Antonio Lopez and Jamie Hewlett.
With an impressive feature-list in various press and media outlets such as Smithsonian Mag, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, EMI Records and Delta Airlines, the home-grown artist was also commissioned by the local Gold Coast City Council to create a mural next to a playground at Galleon Park, Currumbin.
ARTIST CV
EDUCATION
Educated At Falmouth College Of Arts, Cornwall, UK
EXHIBITIONS
2024 Spring Solo Show, 19 Karen Gallery, Mermaid Beach, Australia
London, Paris, New York, Portland, Ottawa, Melbourne, Adelaide, Gold Coast Sydney, Brisbane, Wollongong
AWARDS
2020 Bravehearts, Gold Coast
2018 Birds, Gold Coast
2017 Illustrated Best In Show Murals
2016 Coney Island Film Festival
2012 Metro Award C Shortlisted)
2011 Gold Coast City Gallery Prize Cshortlisted)
2011 Creative Review Illustration Best In Book
2010 Adelaide Fringe Award C Shortlisted)
2010 Radf Gold Coast Arts Development Grant
2008 Call Girl, New York 2015 Coney Island, Melbourne
2002 Pentland Prize
ILLUSTRATION CLIENTS
Netflix
Comic Relief
New York Magazine
The Miami Herald
American Eagle Outfitters
Emi Records
The Wall Street Journal
Clarks Shoes
Mucho Barcelona
Philadelphia Magazine
Molo Kids
Compendium Inc
Portland Mercury
Tezenis
Garnier Paris
The Globe And Mail Toronto
Ellesse
Ford Germany
The Telegraph Uk
Delta Airlines
Gerber
The Times Uk
Continental Airlines
Knorr Soups
Penguin Books
Us Airways
Belvedere Vodka
Walker Books
Fashion 18 Toronto
Ernest & Julio Gallo
Hachette Children’s Books
Tank Magazine
Nicolas Wines
Scholastic
American Lawyer Magazine
Reader’s Digest
Trader Joe’s .Golf World
The British Fashion Council
Girls Inc
Monoprix °
London Fashion Week
More Magazine
Waitrose
Perth Fashion Week
The London Magazine
Oxo
Diesel Jeans
St George Bank
Ikea
La Perla
Canadian Diabetes Association
Nuts
Havaianas Au
Smithsonian Mag
Dove
People Magazine
Mac Cosmetics
Gold Coast City Council
