The artist behind the arthouse
About Sarah
Watercolour painter, teacher, and maker — based in the English countryside.
How it all began
I've been painting with watercolour for as long as I can remember. As a child I was always at the kitchen table with a battered tin of paints and a jam jar of murky water, completely absorbed. That feeling — of time disappearing, of the world going quiet — never left me.
After studying fine art and spending years working in illustration, I set up Sarah Kirby's Arthouse as a way to bring that joy to other people. I wanted to create a space — both physical and online — where anyone could discover the magic of watercolour, regardless of experience.
Today I paint from my studio in the English countryside, teach small-group classes, and put together kits and gift boxes that I hope will inspire someone else to pick up a brush and begin.
My creative philosophy
A few things I believe about making art:
Imperfection is the point
Watercolour is unpredictable. The blooms, the bleeds, the happy accidents — that's not failure, that's the medium talking. I teach people to lean into it rather than fight it.
Everyone can paint
You don't need talent, you need curiosity. I've taught complete beginners who produced beautiful work in their very first session. The only barrier is deciding to start.
Slow down and look
Painting teaches you to really see — the way light falls on a petal, the colour in a shadow. That quality of attention spills into the rest of life in the best possible way.
What inspires me
The English countryside I grew up in — hedgerows, wildflowers, the particular quality of light on a grey morning. The work of artists like Winslow Homer and Charles Reid, who made watercolour look effortless. And the students in my classes, who remind me every week that seeing something for the first time is a gift.
Come and paint with me
Whether you join a class, pick up a kit, or just say hello — I'd love to hear from you.