Sally Muir joined Bridgeman Studio in September 2014, after many years as a Bridgeman Contemporary Artist. She studied at the Bath School of Art and Design between 1998-2003, graduating with first-class honours. Since then, she has exhibited in galleries in the UK and Australia and won the Holburne Portrait Prize in 2010. 

Sally is best known for her captivating pet portraits, particularly of dogs. In February 2013, she undertook a "massive 365 day dogfest" (her words) where she drew a different dog every day on her Facebook page - this lead to a solo exhibition at Anthropologie on Kings Road, London. Alongside her art, Sally also co-owns cashmere knitwear company Muir & Osborne. 

Sally and her design partner Joanne Osborne (Muir & Osborne) was invited by Bridgeman Studio to run a workshop at Wilderness Festival 2015 in the Bridgeman Studio curated workshop tent. Read more about her workshop and take a look at Sally mid-workshop below!

Images courtesy of Georgina Angless

Top Dog: A day in the life of Sally Muir 

What is your earliest memory of an artwork and who was it by?

My parents had a landscape made entirely out of poodle fur. Sadly I have no idea who it was by, even more sadly it got some sort of weevil and had to be thrown out. I wish I still had it: I've never seen another one.

 

What is your favourite time of day to be in your studio?

I like the early evening. When I've been working away at something and I get an idea and suddenly do something completely different.

 

Sally sketching a dog portrait at Anthropologie		Holly, 2006 (oil on board)

Talk us through a day in the life of Sally Muir. What's your routine?

I get up, walk my two Whippets Lily and Peggy, spend the morning doing emails and admin, I'm also a knitwear designer and write books with Joanna Osborne, we've now done 7, including 'Knit your own Dog', 'Knit your own Pet', 'Knit your own Zoo', and coming up 'Knit your own Farm'. I usually get down to painting after lunch and try and work every afternoon when I'm at home. At about 5 the dogs get restless and start badgering me to play with them so I might throw sticks with them for a bit, then make supper and get down to some pet knitting.

 

L-R: Lurcher, 2012; Dachshund, 2011; Labrador, 2011

 How would you sum up your practice in 5 words?

Try to keep it simple.

 

 The subject matter of your art needs little introduction! Where does your fascination with canines come from, and what is it about them which makes such an endlessly engaging source of work?

I'm not sure why I started doing dogs, I used to paint my children over and over, and sometimes our dogs were included. Gradually the dogs took over, then people commissioned me to paint their dogs and it grew from there. I love painting dogs as they have very unique and varied characters and I like to try and paint them as serious portraits, which just happen to be of dogs

 

You have recently been working with the lifestyle and clothing retailer, Anthropologie on in-house exhibitions. How have you found this type of commercial work as a change from licensing?

Anthropologie are brilliant to work with, they are a very doggy organisation, at their head office in Philadelphia they all bring their dogs into work with them. I haven't done anything tailored to suit them I just exhibit my usual work in their shops, and I've had a couple of solo shows in their King's Road Gallery (see photo above)

 

Thorpe Ambrose 2, 2010 (oil on paper)		Lakey Hill, 2009 (oil on paper)

 

What has your most exciting commission been to date?

Probably Bill Bailey, I won a portrait prize in Bath and the prize was to choose anyone from the arts to paint for their collection. I chose Bill Bailey the comedian, it was very interesting and terrifying at the same time, but it will be in the Holburne Museum in Bath's collection and I do find that pretty exciting.

 

Digital or Analogue?

Digital I'm afraid.

 

Drawing or painting?

I think probably drawing, although when I'm drawing I miss colour, but I find painting very difficult and become overwhelmed by too many decisions, I like the simplicity of drawing.

 

Jack Swan I, 2006 (oil on board)		Dee, 2006 (oil on board)

 

Which other artists, dead or alive would you choose to have dinner with?

I'm not great with dinner parties, so I'd prefer to just have dinner with one person. I'd really love to have dinner with Velazquez, I know very little about him. His life seems to have been fairly straightforward, but to have painted what he did he must have been extraordinary, I admire him more than any other painter - he's also the consummate dog painter.

 

What brought you to Bridgeman for licensing and what are your hopes for working as a Bridgeman Studio artist?

My friend Anna Teasdale suggested that I approach Bridgeman and I was delighted to be accepted. Her paintings have been used as book jackets for E. F. Benson and Thomas Hardy and I would love one of my paintings to be used as a book jacket more than anything.

 

View all of Sally Muir's images available for image licensing here

View previous Artist of the Month articles here