About Sarah Murvin Smith

Art has always been in Sarah's corner.  Her parents knew early on that she would become an artist because she liked to draw on the walls and bed sheets.  In high school she remembers learning how to draw eyes and that is when her journey began. She went from human eyes to horse eyes.

Sarah has always put art second; even in undergrad she only pursued a minor in studio art.  Four years after completing her MBA, she was ready to put art first. Currently she is gathering her portfolio and expanding her network. Sarah is currently pursuing her Masters in Fine arts in painting at The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

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Sarah’s animal portrait process begins with a graphite gestural drawing built up with layers of chalk pastel and charcoal. Working in real life helps Sarah better understand the animal’s form and this leads to many gestural drawings. Then, she takes photographs of the subject from different angles to capture the quirkiness of the animal. Sarah’s emphasis is on the animal, so working on wood panel keeps the background raw and soft. She uses charcoal to show basic elements of light, dark, texture, and detail. Paired with vibrant pastel colors it then enhances the animal’s presence in the drawing.

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Sarah is local to Wilmington, NC; born and raised in Hampstead, NC. She enjoys being close to family and childhood friends. Sarah currently resides in Hampstead with her parents, and many animals.