Former teacher from the Lake District claims top art award

Sarah W. Brown, head of art and design at Cartmel Priory School for 18 years, claimed the award at this year's Lake Artists Society Annual Summer Exhibition.

Mrs Brown was the unanimous winner of the Youdells Painting Prize for her triptych, named 'Momentum'.

She said: "I am absolutely thrilled to bits. The Lake Artists Society’s Summer Exhibition is a much-celebrated event in any artist's calendar and the quality of artwork on display is second to none.

"To even have my work accepted into the exhibition was a huge achievement for me, so I’m over the moon to win one of the top prizes."

A triptych is a set of three associated pieces of art that are designed to be appreciated together.

The Youdells Painting Prize was open to works created using oil, acrylic, mixed media, and tempera.

Mrs Brown added: "Even prior to the award, Momentum was one of my favourite pieces of work to date because it goes beyond a representation of the physical beauty of the mountains."

Her triptych was inspired by the quarrying and mining history in the mountains of the Lake District and Wales.

Each panel represents different aspects of the mining and quarrying process, and the work of those communities.'Momentum', the winning triptych created by Sarah Brown. Credit: Lakes PR (Image: Julie Williamson, Lakes PR)

Mrs Brown explained: "It tells the story of man’s impact on the landscape and through the shapes, textures, and colours, I’ve tried to bring to life the ferocious energy not only of the quarrying process, but of the communities who worked and sometimes died there.

"It’s an acknowledgement that beauty can be found in those strangely alluring scars that hold the history of toil and hardship, but also of tradition, community, and love."

The 2023 Lake Artists Society Summer Exhibition, including Sarah’s winning painting, is open daily from 10.30am-4.30pm at Grasmere Village Hall until Wednesday September 6.