“Looking around my domestic realm, I see many curious things that impart moments of musing and wonder. Curiosity about these everyday objects, lemons, dogs, teapots, trees, and daughters, where they rest, their narratives and the questions that emerge from their juxtaposition drive my practice. “
Sarah Chalkie Cloonan believes that art and its processes can inspire and uplift while promoting learning and well-being. Chalkie documents her research and making in her writing, while examining her findings in her projects. The final outcomes are exhibited as artworks or assemblages. These pieces are her talisman; they are metaphors. She describes them as “Momento Vivre”. They act as reminders to look and live.
Chalkie studied drawing, painting and printmaking at the Byam Shaw School of Art. While at the City and Guilds of London Art School, under the tutelage of Flavia Irwin R.A., Chalkie trained as a decorative artist. Inspired by the works from the Omega Workshops and the Artists of the Bloomsbury group, Chalkie created her praxis, applying paint in the domestic sphere while blurring the boundaries between art and the everyday.
Recently Chalkie completed an MFA in Painting from Camberwell UAL and an MA in Arts & Learning from Goldsmiths. She also holds a distinction for her diploma in portraiture awarded by the Royal Society of Portraits Painters and a Merit for her Graduate Diploma in Fine Art from the Royal College of Art.
Sarah Chalkie Cloonan 