An Artist Abroad: Sarah Yaggi
Travelling and art can be fickle friends. Exploring new environments and encountering different cultures can do wonders for the travelling artist’s work but constantly being on the move comes with occupational hazards (I have seen the aftermath of a ham-fisted TSA and a box of soft pastels). Sarah Yaggi, a painter and photographer living in Denver, uses travel as stimulus for her work. We caught up with her to discuss her adventures and current artistic endeavours.
The Jotter: Hey Sarah, tell us a little about yourself!
Sarah Yaggi: I am originally from England, but have been in the United States for 14 years. Art and travel are my two passions. I love bringing the two together to create something new, fresh and exciting. I combine paint and collage throughout my work to add a whole new layer of dimension and interest. My paintings are often memories from my photographs or perhaps where my imagination takes me. I layer and collage interesting patterns and designs to build a base before painting onto the canvas or paper. It creates a unique, fun and bright piece. There are so many layers and hidden details for the viewer to discover throughout each painting.
"People fascinate me. I love to study their body language and features to recreate my own characters."
Many of my paintings are based on my experiences and travels around the United States, Asia and North Africa. People fascinate me. I love to study their body language and features to recreate my own characters. I am currently working on a series of women from around the world. They are 'My Tribe' and I love them all.
The second series that I have just started is a range of vibrant, magical and mythical characters. The image below (see gallery) is Nixie, a beautiful sea creature that will lure you into the depths of the ocean. Her tail is full of mixed media delights, covered in beautiful color and pattern. My next character in the making is Sol, the sun goddess. She will be just as fun and dynamic.
TJ: Your artwork is inspired by your travels, do you have any stories of your adventures that have really stuck with you?
SY: I have so many hilarious memories from various places my husband and I have travelled. Asia seems to win the award for funny stories, although Morocco comes a close second. In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we stumbled across a Beer Garden packed with locals. We decided to stop in for a beer and watch the wild and crazy traffic below. I think we were only one beer down when a table of very drunk locals invited us over to join them. Of course we headed straight over and introduced ourselves. We soon realized that only one lady out of the group spoke English, and not very much...this was going to be interesting! They proceeded to basically spoon feed us all kinds of crazy foods from the feast in front of them. We had no idea what we were eating. But hey, that is the beauty of Asian food! The drunkest of the bunch repeatedly slurred 'Andy Murray, Wimbledon' over and over and over again once he knew I was from the UK. The rest of them chanted "Karaoke, Karaoke, Karaoke" until we gave in and headed to a Karaoke bar with them.
"The drunkest of the bunch repeatedly slurred 'Andy Murray, Wimbledon' over and over and over again once he knew I was from the UK."
A Vietnamese Karaoke bar is hilarious! Such a fantastic experience. We sang along to popular Vietnamese songs in quite possibly the worst attempt of Vietnamese possible. Attempting to sing in an Asian language...now that is embarrassing! They party like rockstars, smashing beer bottles on the floor, jumping on the tables and constantly showering us with cuddles and kisses. We all danced our asses off. It was brilliant! We ended the night by hopping on the back of their mopeds (something I swore I would not do when we first arrived in Vietnam) and headed to the best local food spot in town. Sucked down some fabulous Pho, gave them farewell hugs and headed to our hotel. It was certainly a night to remember!
Our memories in Morocco mainly consist of dodging crazy taxi drivers, hanging on for dear life as our Sahara excursion driver, Mohammad, drove like an absolute maniac. He would overtake trucks on a bend, while speeding through the Atlas Mountains, with oncoming traffic approaching! We also got to camp under the stars in the breathtaking Sahara desert. This was a magical night and I feel so lucky to have experienced it.
TJ: Where was your favorite place to visit and why?
SY: That is so hard to choose! We got married on the beautiful island of Rhodes, Greece and have many friends there now. So, Greece is definitely one of our favorites. We have explored quite a few other islands and are always blown away by the natural beauty and totally charming Greek hospitality. Of course, the food never fails either.
Marrakech was probably the biggest culture shock I have experienced. So, for that reason, I love it there! I thrive on being somewhere totally foreign and studying the way the cities come to life and how locals live day to day. The hustle and bustle of the Medina and also the main square, named Jamal El Fna, is certainly one of a kind.
The chilled out beach towns in Thailand are truly wonderful. Their relaxed, peaceful, Buddhist culture is somewhere I feel completely comfortable. It is awesome.
Like I said, it is impossible to choose. I could go on and on!
TJ: How do you make time to create whilst traveling?
SY: Taking photos is my main way to capture memories and ideas while I travel. I often find it impossible to put the camera down. When walking through the back streets of Hong Kong, I am totally mesmerized by stunning graffiti and beat-up looking walls that appear to hold so much beauty in their wear and tear. From ancient European city backdrops, to the smells and colors of the seafood markets in Taiwan. Watching the way people live and how the pace of life varies so dramatically from country to county, continent to continent is so interesting. How can you ever get bored exploring these fascinating places?
I usually take a sketch book with me to doodle in. I play around with different drawing ideas and collect papers, receipts, flyers, whatever it may be. These are then incorporated into the layering process on my paintings. I use my photos to recreate the details and scenes I experienced on my travels.
"I create new art from art I previously captured through the lens. It is a process that seems to circle."
I create new art from art I previously captured through the lens. It is a process that seems to circle. It begins with a feeling I get from a scene, a building, a street or whatever it may be. I then take a photo capturing the best composition. When I get back to Denver, I then go through all my favorite photos and begin sketching, layering and painting on to the paper or canvas. Its great fun reliving those wonderful memories.
To see more of Sarah's amazing artwork and photography check out her instagram or pinterest. To purchase her work visit etsy.