“I tend to work mostly from photographs when it comes to portraiture and sometimes other source material if working on narrative based paintings. I like the distance this gives as I am attempting to be less naturalistic in my work. Once painting, I use thin layers of oil, usually on a brightly coloured ground, and allow them to dry in between. Keeping things loose and allowing the drawing to shift over time. I like a painting to change radically in process and try and leave room for spontaneity.”

“The portrait genre is changing and New Zealand-born, London-based painter Sarah Jane Moon is at the forefront of that movement. Here, DIVA catches up with SJM after she was selected to be part of this year’s BP Portrait Awards Exhibition at London’s prestigious – and arguably heteronormative – National Portrait Gallery.”

Sarah Jane Moon discusses her latest work in this month’s ‘Fresh Paint’ segment

“Anyone who frequents the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition will recognise the work of Sarah Jane Moon. Since she began showing in 2011, the artist has earned a name for herself as someone who is challenging the traditional conventions of portraiture. Her boisterous and brave works are instantly distinguishable on the walls of Mall Galleries – Bold colours, sartorial aplomb, immediacy, strength of character, queerness: these are the elements of a quintessential Sarah Jane Moon portrait.” 

“Two paintings by a Kiwi artist have been selected from more than 2000 entries to appear alongside portraits by some of Britain's leading artists. Sarah Jane Moon's portraits will appear in the Royal Society of Portrait Painters' annual exhibition in central London.”

“Moon works primarily with oil on canvas and builds up layers, often painting objects in and out of the composition. She is keen to show the characters of her friends and sitters through both a visual likeness, but also by the careful placement of objects that define them, such as books and postcards.”