Haar East artist Sarah Jeffrey talks about inspiration in lock-down, playful creativity, and the future of the arts industry

As lock-down restrictions begin to lift, many professionals are beginning to consider how to return to work and find a version of ‘normal’. Those lucky enough to work from home during the pandemic have reportedly enjoyed a slower pace of life with no commute to battle each day and more time to spend on hobbies and interests. This experience is no different for professional artists, who have adapted like the rest of us. Artists are able to work from their home-studios, sell their work online, and have a unique ability to find inspiration in a time of crisis.

Keen to hear more about the evolution of the creative process in lock-down, I spent a grey summers morning with Sarah Jeffrey on Zoom to talk about playful creativity, where to source inspiration in a time of lock-down, and what a post-Covid arts industry looks like.

Sarah Jeffrey is an East-London based ceramicist and painter who operates under the brand Haar East. The term haar derives from Sarah’s native Scotland and is used to describe the foggy mist that crept up from the sea to the end of her street as a child. When she first moved to London and landed in the creative world of East London, Sarah recalls it felt like a safety net to operate behind the brand. From an outsiders perspective, it seems an ingenious way to blend a previous life with a new one.

Sarah is self-taught, which allows her the freedom to playfully explore what does and what doesn’t work in her practice. The pieces Sarah creates are personified by their neutral tones and geometric forms. Aesthetically, Sarah chooses to work with a limited palette in order to give herself complete freedom in the shapes she creates.

Sarah’s ceramic works are hand-built, which lends them an earthy, grainy quality. Her paintings are abstract combinations of earthy panes of cream and brown shades that conjure the grainy belly of a tree trunk. I ask her where she sources her inspiration and it makes sense when she responds that nature is a key inspiration in her work. Sarah is a “big gardener, in a small garden” and is spending more time in her garden now than ever before. Shapes and designs of nature subliminally make their way into Sarah’s ceramic forms and carvings. “It’s all experimental, it’s all about enjoying it and seeing what you can do.”

Without formal schooling, Sarah is able to follow her own curiosity and keen eye, especially when travelling abroad. When travelling with her partner, Sarah often finds herself in a “dusty, archaeological museum” where she is able to draw inspiration from ancient pots, vessels, and artefacts that have a distinct earthy nature about them. Taking inspiration from these works, she mirrors similar elements in her own work when returning to the UK. “I find it incredible and completely mind-blowing how intricate and amazing work that was done thousands of years ago is still existing somewhere and you can go and look at it.”

At the time of interviewing lock-down had paused international travel. However, Sarah was able to refer to photographs of previous trips with a fresh perspective. Sarah uses many of the same set of tools craftsman used thousands of years ago and is able to create her own modern interpretation with similar limitations.

The Haar East brand features in a number of retail outlets, from COS on the high street to independent shopfronts such as A New Tribe and Nika. When asked about how Covid-19 has impacted commissions for ceramic pieces, Sarah replies “I love working with commissions but it has been nice to have a bit more exploratory time to play with things.” Ultimately, this allows her to develop her hand-building skills and techniques as an artist.

And what does the future hold for the arts industry? It’s a million-dollar question which none of us can respond to. Socially and culturally our world is in flux and on the cusp of positive, progressive change. We spend time speculating the impact of virtual art fairs and how experiential-based artworks can translate to online spaces. When talking about the global art-scene, Sarah predicts “I think there probably will be shift” likely fueled by consumers who “are engaging with stuff differently.”

All images courtesy Sarah Jeffrey