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Sandi Goodwin

Abstract Artist | Author

Meet Sandi

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life”
– Pablo Picasso

Originally from London, England, I worked as a nurse in my past life. My love of travel brought me to Asia and Australia and eventually settled in New Zealand where I specialized in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which led me to create a successful fundraising event. This propelled me to change careers to become an event manager, eventually running my own event company, producing theatre and dance and co-producing TEMPO, Australasia’s largest dance festival. I was fortunate to work with Maori performer, Mika, producing performances by young indigenous dancers from socially marginalised communities.

After 27 years of living in New Zealand, I brought my enriching experiences to the UK where I continued to produce theatre and dance and organised festivals for touring New Zealand and Australian performers, especially indigenous artists. I had always enjoyed drawing as a creative outlet, so when going through a challenging period in my life, I started sketching and painting. While my art became part of the healing process, my creativity was further ignited and I fell in love with this method of artistic expression.

Yet, the self-doubt that arose from my lack of professional art training and compounded by preconception of what a ‘real artist’ is or is not, left me going through the dreaded imposter syndrome. But, this feeling of uncertainty was also the catalyst for my discovery of abstract art. My fascination with texture and layer-building on canvas using unconventional materials has allowed me to paint without worrying where the journey will take me. This free-form creative thinking also extends to the observer. I want them to make their own interpretation of the story, so I leave my artwork untitled.

From day one of the coronavirus lockdown in Spain, I documented this extraordinary time in our lives through paintings based on my experiences and those of others. And because of shop closures, I had to resort to using computer paper for my creations – an unorthodox medium for artists! Using these unusual materials, however, did not dampen my desire to capture these stories during such an unprecedented period. An exhibition and book launch showcasing this series of paintings is currently in the works.

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