Artist Feature

Sofie Hayes

 

Your Name/Artist Name

Sofie Hayes of Sofie Seyah Illustration

 

Where are you based?

Denham, Shark Bay

 

What genre of art/photography describes your work best?

Nature-inspired watercolour and ink illustrations.

 

How did you get into your artistic pursuit?

I’ve loved creating art since I was a kid. Pencils, pastels, paints… whatever I could get my hands on, as I always had access to my dad’s art supplies from his days at teacher’s college, especially his watercolour set. While I loved studying art at school, I was really interested in coastal and marine conservation, which motivated me to study environmental management at university.

Study led me to working as a marine research assistant and then onto a professional career as a marine environmental scientist and commercial diver.
It wasn’t until 2011, when I fell in love with Perth artist Sarah McCloskey’s ink and watercolour artwork that I was inspired to reconnect with my creative side; filling sketchbooks with drawings, paintings and bringing the ocean’s incredible creatures to life with my art.

Then in 2015, my son entered the world. I was unemployed, overwhelmed and fumbling through my journey of parenthood, desperate for a creative outlet and distraction. After substantial encouragement, a printing budget and a market gazebo birthday present from my husband, Sofie Seyah Illustration was born. My artistic skills were initially pretty rusty but knowing that creating was destined to be a part of my future, continual practice and experimentation was essential for me to create the artwork you see here today.

My artwork reflects a combination of the internal struggle of the marine scientist within wanting the anatomically-correct illustration and the creative artist who desires to splash, have fun and break free of form and function. My creative process quite adequately summarises my career; constantly flicking between the disciplined scientist and the messy creative. It often makes translating what’s in my head onto paper an unmanageable task.

 

Motivations.

The desire to get down all the ideas in my head onto paper, create art, share stories and evoke a feeling of nature conservation. Within each and every drawing is a detailed story, each one unique as the subject itself. Taking inspiration from the ocean and making it personal is my way of sharing the intrigue and fascination of these incredible creatures with you. When someone buys a piece of my art and hangs it in their home, I want it to inspire a love and fondness within them for the species adorning their walls. I want to ignite a fierce protectiveness, so when there is a call to action for us to step up and act on their behalf, they feel compelled to contribute to their conservation, so that future generations can experience the majesty of these animals as well.

 

How do you sell your work.

Online through my website (www.sofieseyah.com), as well as brick and mortar stockists and occasional market stalls (Perth Upmarket and Summer x Salt markets).

 

Favourite Fine Art Paper.

Hahnemuhle Hemp 290gsm. Sustainable with a smooth, crisp texture that prints beautifully. Its sustainability factor has a huge appeal to me.

 

Favourite artist/poet/author/anyone that you admire/influences you.

Robert J Williams, a watercolour artist from Melbourne. His work is incredible – the detail, subject choice, remarkable skill. The kind of artwork that you can stare at for hours. He is also a mentor to me and has added much value to my art practice.

 

Any words of wisdom/resources for other artists.

The most challenging step by far was convincing myself that my artwork was worth unleashing from my personal sketchbooks and into the world. I was fortunate to have lots of encouragement from my family and friends but without them, I think I would still be filling sketchbooks with artwork that no one would ever see. So get it out there, make it worth seeing/experiencing. Make it meaningful.

 

Future plans/projects.

Currently ticking on as usual and sneaking in some painting when I can. Hoping to become more involved with the Shark Bay Arts Council and some of their interesting community projects in the coming years.

 

Contact Details.