Scarlett Raven
Safe Space | 2023
13 pieces
In a beautiful and moving new collection, Scarlett Raven makes incredible landscapes which the viewer can imagine themselves inside and feel the calming, exhilarating and cathartic qualities of nature for themselves.
Contemporary British impressionist Scarlett Raven’s work has always been recognised for its emotional intensity and heavy texture, and her new Safe Space collection brings a new depth to her work. She is incredibly drawn to natural subject matter including landscapes and portraits, and has a profound affinity for depicting the countryside, flowers, and rural life, due to the grounding and intense encounters she finds in this through her experience with borderline personality disorder.
Many individuals with BPD have faced significant challenges in their lives and can experience very strong emotions and can have heightened reactions to their surroundings - the experience of dropping a mug can produce the same emotional reaction as that of losing a loved one.
Scarlett has experienced four nervous breakdowns, but in her deepest despair, has always been brought back by the act of painting and being in nature. Since childhood, painting has been her way of understanding and accepting herself within the world and through the act of painting and sourcing inspiration has been able find a healthy way to exist within herself; for this she is forever grateful to painting and the Impressionists who inspired her.
Featured art (L-R): 'Where The Daffodils Sing' and 'House By The River'. These original paintings are hand-signed by Scarlett Raven.
Scarlett describes having BPD as being completely exposed to the world but especially to all its beauty and colour, which makes the world something beautiful rather than overwhelming. Despite the many challenges she faces, she has chosen not to see her life as an artist with BPD as a problem, instead describing herself as lucky to have it and to connect so deeply with her environment.
Through art and nature, Scarlett finds a healthy way to live, with her paintings showing just a tiny proportion of her experience of nature through her canvases. Painting has taught her to accept herself and cherish her disorder.
Scarlett describes creating a safe haven within her landscapes, which are made up of several layers – a floral foreground, expansive mid-ground, and an intense skyline background that the viewer can almost step inside of and feel the calming, exhilarating or cathartic qualities of nature for themselves. The Safe Space collection is about finding the joy and colour in the world and finding a healthy way to exist and accept ourselves, whatever challenges we may face.
Featured art: 'Home By The Lavender'. This original painting is hand-signed by Scarlett Raven.
Lasting Impressions to Safe Spaces
Lasting Impressions, released in March 2023, is a 22-painting series which began a huge journey for Scarlett expressing herself through the Impressionists that have inspired her and entering a period of self-reflection and examination which has led to some of her most beautiful work yet. Feeling settled in her life as a mother and artist in a beautiful home surrounded by countryside, Scarlett's work is moving on in every way as she grows ever more connected to her environment.
“As I’ve evolved and experienced life more, so has this collection. I’ve been amazed by the colour and patterns I’ve seen in the landscapes, and I feel like they have been knitted like a quilt; a gift to keep you warm, a landscape to keep you safe. This collection is a gift from nature and how it makes us feel."
With stylistic influences from Vincent Van Gogh, Anselm Kiefer, Gustav Klimt and David Hockney, Scarlett’s work goes beyond the optical realism of impressionism to begin exploring the emotional and symbolic content of art. Her painting style is distinctive and characterised by several key elements, beginning with bold and vibrant colours, applied directly from the tube in thick impasto layers. Her colour choices are expressive and emotional, reflecting her own experience of the world around her.
Related media
Join us for a very special appearance from contemporary British artist, Scarlett Raven as she unveils a brand-new collection of original works from her popular Beyond The Surface collection and a striking selection of her signature colourful impasto paintings on Saturday 15th March at our ICC, Birmingham gallery.
This International Women's Day, channel your inner empowerment and join us in celebrating the amazing artistic talents Scarlett Raven, Pascale Taurua and more female artists at Castle Fine Art.
From the moving emotion within her paintings, to the impressive impasto application of paint, this month's selection of original artworks celebrate the unique masterpieces of Scarlett Raven.
Marking a new chapter in Scarlett Raven's artistic journey, I am Reborn is a celebration of her ineffable talent and the renewal she has found in motherhood.
We caught up with one of the UK's best chefs to find out how he's styled our art at his two Michelin-starred restaurant in Cambridge. Discover why art is the perfect side dish for spectacular food.
If you're missing the great outdoors, we've got the perfect selection of artworks to brings nature inside - no matter the weather.
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