Meet Sarah Kleeman

The notion of "correspondance", elaborated poetically by Charles Baudelaire, is what occurs when the landscape takes on a mood it normally does not have.

My inspiration for painting is from just such moments. An instance where the light and mood feel somehow different and I am stopped in my tracks. When this happens, it's usually when I'm out running.

I enjoy the simplicity of running. The freedom. Perhaps also the feeling of vulnerability. If you stop for too long, particularly in mountainous terrain, you can get dangerously cold, so when a moment catches me I have to take it in. Remember it. Then keep moving.

When I have that "correspondence" there is no fear of standing in front of a blank canvas. I know when it all falls into place because for a brief while, looking at the result, I feel like I'm back at that moment in time.

That is what I want to give back through my art.

Growing up in Australia I lived on a hobby farm near national parks and wilderness. I was lucky to have a connection to nature as well as animals to care for and love.

As early as I can remember, sports, art and science made me happy but also taught me to cope with failure. I've learnt that the things that make life meaningful aren't always fun, but if you put in your 10,000 hours, dedicate yourself to learning the fundamentals and practice getting better every day, the rewards pay off.

Having gained my PhD, I worked in scientific research and policy, both in Australia and New Zealand, before moving to the UK. Ready for a new chapter, I set up my own business teaching people how to run safely in off-road environments.

I am now concentrating on my passion for art which combines all that knowledge gained, where my running takes me to the places that inspire me, and my scientific background enables me to translate that into how I see the world, through concepts of colour and design.