Painters 2015
Sophie Walbeoffe
Sophie Walbeoffe was born in the UK
and lives in Nairobi, Kenya. As a child
she visited the home of an American
collector in South Devon, where she
was inspired by the seascape paintings
of the 19th century American landscape
painter Winslow Homer. Mesmerized
by the outdoor scenery, Walbeoffe
was moved to paint beautiful
sights. Always a traveller, she paints at
extraordinary stations across the planet.
From the salty city of Lamu to the
historical wonder of Jerusalem, where
she has been living these last two and
half years, she chooses old-world hamlets,
reminiscent of a simpler time and
a better life. “I always think one’s studio
is wherever one is at that exact moment
when you start to make a painting,
whether it’s the steps on a busy
street, a boat, or an open landscape.”
   
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Sophie loves painting in Lamu and has
visited the island on multiple occasions.
It is one of her many homes in
the world. “Lamu feels safe”, she says,
“and it is always an exciting place to
work. I love the lack of commercialism
and no cars, only donkeys. This keeps
a close human contact with animals,
something that is fast being lost all
over the world; the world is a sadder
place for it.”
Walbeoffe studied at the Wimbledon School of Art and later with world renowned British painter Cecil Collins at the Central School of Art in London. It was there that she began to paint using both hands at once. Walbeoffe works in several mediums, but she is most noted for her brilliant watercolour palette and buoyant strokes.
