Samphire Sauna x Elizabeth Power: Meet The Artist
Samphire Sauna are excited to announce that Elizabeth Power has been selected as the artist for our Wall With a View project for Coastal Currents, the Hastings & Rother Art Festival!
As Tina Morris, Coastal Currents Director, says: “This a unique opportunity for artists to work hand in hand with small businesses to bring more joy to everyone involved. Well done to Elizabeth, a great choice and we are looking forward to celebrating the final piece. We are so pleased to be collaborating on this great project with Samphire Sauna this year. We need more of these kinds of commissions as part of the festival”.
We were blown away by the interest and range of talented artists who connected with the project, but Elizabeth’s vibrant work, exploring memory and escapism really stood out. Her art has been celebrated by British Vogue, showcased by Soho House, and now she’s bringing her unique style to Samphire Sauna.
“My paintings explore calm, tranquillity, and a little escape from the everyday, so it feels like the perfect setting. I’m thrilled to be working with Samphire Sauna alongside artist Nicola Jones to bring our ideas to life!”
We asked Elizabeth to tell us a bit more about herself and why the Samphire Sauna site is the perfect canvas for her work.
What drew you to the project with Samphire Sauna?
Firstly, I LOVE saunas. It’s my ultimate way to relax and recharge (physically and mentally). As a busy working mum, it’s a rare treat to take the time out for a sauna, and this only deepens my appreciation. Gazing out at our beloved Hastings beach from the Samphire Sauna makes the space feel really magical. I’m a big fan of the mural on your site designed artist Molly Hawkins, and this was a great opportunity to continue from, and develop, the colours and shapes she’s already introduced to the space.
We can’t wait to reveal your mural at Samphire Sauna this September! Can you give us a hint of what to expect?
I like to make my landscape work abstract enough that someone might see Hastings in my work if that’s what they want to see, but also perhaps they see somewhere in the Mediterranean or somewhere fictional entirely. Providing escapism – particularly using colour to help transport us to anywhere in our mind – is the aim. So, while the placement of the saunas – set against the beautiful views and landscape of Hastings – infuses the work, the general theme will be nature, warmth, positivity, and tranquillity.
How have seascapes and the natural environment influenced your work to date?
I paint scenes I want to spend time in, and I am most at peace when by water and nature. I use a heightened, vivid colour palette, and my reference points are places I’ve been to or where I live. I edit these scenes to be more idyllic, often removing people and playing with light and shadows to convey a still moment in time. I want to invite the viewer into this rare moment of calm (did I mention I have two small children?), where everything is quiet and at peace, and the natural world is always the main character.
Have you used the saunas before? If yes, can you tell us what you love about it and the site on Hastings Pier?
I have indeed! I enjoy the feeling of being outside and close to the sea. It’s a very different experience from using a sauna in, say, a gym. I love the setting of it – it’s a really special and unique thing to experience!
Samphire Sauna enables you to relax, reconnect with nature, and reap the benefits of heat and cold-water therapy. If you had a spare afternoon to yourself, how would you relax and connect with nature?
I would definitely sunbathe and read, and then jump in a very still and calm sea or lake! Ideally, some sauna time too, and maybe end the day sat outside in some dappled light, eating delicious food.
Elizabeth starts work on site in late August, and we will be welcoming you to view the mural on Thursday 11th September as part of the Coastal Currents Festival.
Find out more about Elizabeth Power here.
Thank you to the team at Coastal Currents for their support in this project. Find out more about the festival here.