Meet Sarah Stribling, an artist from the UK known for her two distinct styles of wildlife paintings; realistic and abstract. Sarah shares her artwork via sarahstribblingwildlifeart. As an artist who has used many different mediums in her artistic career, one of her favorite things about Arteza is the wide variety of products and affordable prices. Sarah loves that the assortment provided is great for all artists, especially those who want to dabble in everything.

Growing up, Sarah recalls always having a fondness for animals, "When I was a little girl, I wanted to work with animals. I remember wanting to be a vet and, after that, work for the RSPCA, anything. I wanted to help wildlife and do something good."  Sarah's dad is a wildlife artist, and she vividly remembers sitting in his studio and watching him paint scenes of wildlife such as elephants, lions, and tigers. It's no surprise that drawing animals soon became her hobby as well. 

 Sarah pursued her goals of working in the field of wildlife, earning a degree in Zoology, and a Masters in Biodiversity and Conservation. Although she had dabbled in drawing for quite some time, being an artist was something that hadn't crossed Sarah's mind. Art was more of a hobby that she enjoyed, often drawing animals in her free time while at school for her Masters. One day, a friend of hers saw a picture she'd drawn of a lion and wanted to buy it from her. Initially wanting to give it to her friend, they insisted they pay her for her work.

Sarah remembers calling her dad, who suggested she start selling her artwork. Taking his advice, she soon began selling her colored pencil drawings online. Her intention was to get a job in wildlife, but she fell in love with creating art and never stopped. It wasn't long until Sarah wondered how she could combine her love of animals. "And that's when I started thinking I can donate work to wildlife charities...I donate pieces and do fundraisers on social media when I can, so yeah, I think it's important to give back."

Eventually, her artistry grew to where she began using oil paints. As for Sarah's style, she paints realism and wildlife in multi-colors. Sarah calls the latter her ‘Dream Series,' where she paints using bright and contrasting colors. Describing her more abstract wildlife artwork, she says, "I take a picture of say, a highland cow and pick out the dark areas, and pick out colors that are dark, so I'll pick blues, purples, and add some blacks. Then for the lighter colors, I'll pick out my yellows and oranges. It's just a real loose technique rather than doing everything neat and compact. My realism style is very particular and exact, and this one is just let loose, grab some color and splash it on." The range of styles Sarah can create is as impressive as her artwork!

Sarah adds that being an artist is not without its challenges, "In this day and age of social media, it's a lot easier to get seen. But the market is so saturated with other artists that that's a constant struggle getting something that stands out, making sure it gets noticed, and knowing where to sell things." However, one of the ways she overcomes this is by being a firm believer in artists supporting other artists. Her compassionate nature makes Sarah happy and willing to offer tips, tricks, and advice to any individual who reaches out to her. Paying it forward is incredibly important to Sarah," I wouldn't be where I am today doing what I do without learning from other people and other people's generosity."

Besides being an artist, Sarah is a mom, an adventurer, and a photographer (especially wildlife). Sarah's determination to successfully combine her two passions is an inspiration to all artists. To stay grounded, Sarah keeps two affirmations on post-it notes in her studio: 'the only thing constant in life is change,' and 'comparison is the thief of joy.' Sarah's hard work and optimism shine through in her incredible wildlife portraits.