Miniatures by Sarah Theobald
Portrait Miniature Specialist and Miniaturist
SARAH THEOBALD
Background.
Born in Somerset in July 1994, Sarah is now living in Yorkshire. She studied undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Birmingham, in History of Art BA(Hons) and Art History and Curating MA respectively. While at Birmingham Sarah was awarded at graduation the Rastall prize for best contribution to the department of History of Art.
Sarah has been studying and painting miniatures for the last five years.
Writing both 12,000 and 15,000 word dissertations on the subject of miniatures.
ARTISTIC SERVICES
Miniature Portrait Specialist.
Artist, Speaker and Art Historian
Now Sarah is a practising artist, miniature specialist, speaker and miniature painting tutor.
Having specialised in miniatures during her studies she has gained the perfect combination of history and practicing methods, which is paramount for the understanding of the art form.
She creates works for exhibition and welcomes painting commissions.
WHAT ARE MINIATURES?
Not just small works of art...
Miniatures are typically small works of art, yet the word miniature does not mean small when referring to the art form. Miniature meaning small, comes from the Latin word minimus. Whereas the word miniature, meaning a painting, comes from the Latin word minium, meaning red lead paint in medieval manuscripts. It refers to the origins of miniature painting and the technique needed to constitute a miniature. Therefore, although spelt the same, the words have different derivatives and meanings. It is the very specific delicate and time-consuming technique that both constitutes a miniature and restrains the size.
SARAH PAINTS WITHOUT MAGNIFICATION TOOLS
She is perfectly suited to painting miniatures
Discovered on her 21st Birthday, Sarah has a specific type of Visual Stress meaning that her eyes are very light sensitive and she can see things in a lighter shade, so she does not use extra lights for painting. Visually, she prefers viewing smaller details. For reading she usually prints 12 A4 size pages onto one A4 page. As that the pages become very small and condensed, it is a lot more comfortable for her to see. Her eyes are accustomed to seeing very fine detail and she does not use any magnifying tools or special glasses. She only paints from what her eyes can see. Her smallest work to date is of her mother’s eye at 5mm.
THE TECHNIQUE
Like no other.
The very delicate stippling technique needed to paint a portrait miniature is as follows: the surfaces on which a miniature can be painted, whether vellum mounted on cards or latterly ivory, is impermeable. As water cannot be absorbed into the support the watercolour paint needs to be thinned out with water and left to dry before application on the surface using single dots. To build up colour, the dots are applied more densely, however the colour should remain light. If the paint is too dense and thick, it will peel off the surface later. If paint is not dry enough when applied the painting will lose its clarity. Also, if the dots are added over the top of one another, it will lift off the dots that have already been applied. What has been applied on the surface can easily be taken away. The majority of the white colour in a miniature painting is from where the paint has been lifted off the surface, revealing the light support underneath. It is this specific stippling process, along with their medieval origins, that defines a miniature painting.
HOW SARAH STARTED PAINTING MINIATURES
A mini rebellion
Although she was awarded two art scholarships, Sarah did not enjoy art at school. Confines to the curriculum and lack of artistic acceptance led to Sarah’s ‘rebellion’ after she finished her final exams. She started painting small detailed paintings, mostly pet portraits, to satisfy the call of delicate handing, but this also supported her through university.
It was her grandad who encouraged her to think about painting miniature portraits in lockets. He briefly explained that they were the ‘photographs’ of loved ones, before the invention of photography.
It wasn’t until going on a course at Dillington House that Sarah found that there was a completely different technique for a painting miniatures. It was not just about painting in small, but a whole new art world to explore. The technique was exactly what Sarah didn’t know she had been looking for, and she took to it straight away.
Sarah is now teaching the course at Dillington House next year.
INFLUENCES
Tradition is everything
Sarah has studied the history of miniature painting from its medieval origins to the present day. As the medieval origins and technique defines a miniature, Sarah is adamant to uphold the traditional style.
She admires the work of many miniaturists. Some of note include the originality of the delicate work by Isaac Oliver, the iconic unapologetic contours of George Engleheart and in particular, the perfect, absolute minute, unequivocal stipples by John Smart.
In addition to miniatures, art historically, Sarah adores the Pre-Raphaelites. She tries to stay faithful to Ruskin's teachings:
"Go to Nature in all singleness of heart […] rejecting nothing, selecting nothing, and scorning nothing."
She has combined the style of miniature painting and Pre-Raphaelites in her 'Stunner' picture Beatrice.
