JAPOW! Sally West’s Japan Ski Trip Results in Sensational New Series
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Kerry-Anne Blanket - 10/02/2020
Ski locations in Japan boast over 12 metres of snow annually, providing visitors almost guaranteed powder runs at some point during their trip. Alongside the snow Japan offers skiers and snowboarders delicious food, stunning views, and a cultural experience that’s hard to beat. All these qualities make it the perfect place for Sally West to visit and gain further inspiration for her Snow Series.
Sally West has long been a snow enthusiast. “I have been skiing since I was about 4 years old, when my parents took me and my brother in the snowfields of Australia. We skied every year until I left school”. After about 15 years off the fields (“due to a lack of money!” as she jokes) she has recently returned to skiing and has fulfilled one of her life-long dreams to visit and ski in Japan. This visit has inspired a set of works within her now- famous series, which she has fondly titled “Japow”.
The set consists of 6 studio studies created as soon as she returned, referring to both memory and personal photographs. They are 9×7 inches and come presented in professional mounts ready for art collectors to purchase and frame.
We asked Sally to document her days in the Japanese ski fields, including her inspiration and love for the snow:
In painting this series I wanted to capture the conditions of this particular day as well as the fun of skiing and snowboarding.
On one particular day it snowed all day and I was excited by the subtle tones in the imagery. The colours of the usually neon ski clothing seemed more muted and I knew that I wanted to paint this when I returned home.
We stayed in a lodge on the outskirts of Niseko village and caught the shuttle bus up the ski lift each morning. We skied for 8 days straight and I am still recovering! It was a dream come true. The snow is everything they tell you – light as powder! Therefore nicknamed Japow! Falling over never felt so easy! The runs were really long and I felt like a much better skier than I have ever felt skiing the ice fields of Australia!
We skied in varying conditions but never wind which was 100% happiness for me. At -10 degrees each day who needs the extra wind chill!”
Sally West – Japow Study 6 (17.1.20) Oil on Oil Paper (23×18 cm) AUD $620
More to come in this series as Sally reminisces about the varying conditions she skied whilst in Japan….
Kerry-Anne Blanket
Director & Curator - KAB Gallery
KAB Gallery’s Kerry-Anne Blanket holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts and two Masters degrees (Hons) from the University of Sydney. With an extensive career in art education along with the management of museums and investment art galleries, Kerry-Anne can offer premier art consulting to her clients and source specially requested works.
She has a keen eye for detail, comprehensive art market knowledge and a love of all things beautiful. Kerry-Anne works directly with artists and collectors alike to curate interesting and eclectic exhibitions.
