Denmans creators, Joyce Robinson and John Brookes, both approached the Garden as artists. Mrs Robinson’s approach was to create ‘pictures’ so that her Garden was a series of curated vignettes. John Brookes was deeply influenced by Modernist artists like Ben Nicholson and Piet Mondrian, and regarded garden design as sculptural with shapes playing against shapes in two and three dimensions. Simply stated, the combination of these two approaches makes Denmans a rich and vibrant garden.
Inspired by the relationship between art and garden, Denmans Garden launched an Artist-in-Residence programme in 2021, an opportunity for a specific artist to explore and express their relationship with the garden. We are delighted to announce that contemporary artist and illustrator Sandra Izard will be our fourth Artist-in-Residence. She follows landscape artist Sue England, watercolourist Jo Dowers, and figurative artist, Oscar Romp.
Based in Slindon, Sandra ‘s work is deeply rooted in the landscape of West Sussex. The South Downs, together with the intimate world of the local pond and her garden, form a continuing presence within her practice. Drawing and painting have long been both instinct and necessity. During walks, she gathers impressions through quick sketches and handwritten notes, later developing these observations into resolved works in the studio.
Sandra works across mixed media, allowing each subject to determine its materials and process. Colour plays a central role in her work; layered washes, translucent veils and unexpected tonal contrasts evoke shifting skies, changing seasons and reflected light. Her palette ranges from muted, contemplative hues to moments of heightened intensity, mirroring the rhythms of the natural world. Texture is equally important. Surfaces are built through layering, scraping, and reworking, creating depth and a tactile quality that invites close viewing. Fluid passages of watercolour sit alongside more structured marks, producing a dialogue between spontaneity and control. Influenced by artists such as Ivon Hitchens and Peter Iden, her work reflects a profound sense of place, balancing abstraction and representation. Renowned particularly for her watercolours, her work has been widely exhibited, most recently earlier this year with an exhibition at the Oxmarket Gallery in Chichester and is held in private collections internationally. Commissions include work for the National Trust and illustration for a children’s book.
Here she writes about her career, her connections to the South Downs, and her inspiration.
My Background
Art and English were my favourite subjects at school.
I had hoped to go to art college but circumstances found me following a different career path until about 30 years ago when I studied Art and Design at A level… the seed was firmly sown!
Sandra Izard will be the fourth Artist-in-Residence at Denmans Garden.
Since then, and largely self-taught, I have exhibited on the Arundel gallery trail and Chichester open studio’s.
In 2017 I had my first solo exhibition. It was by kind invitation of Maggie Haynes BME, founder of Tuppenny Barn in nearby Southbourne. It was the perfect venue to show my small watercolour paintings of garden related subject matter…Ponds included!
Around this time, I was commissioned to illustrate a poster for the National Trust in Slindon where I live.
I also illustrated a children’s book written by Jeremy I’Anson called ‘Midnight and Mister Perkins’.
Published in 2015, ‘Midnight and Mister Perkins’ was illustrated by Sandra.
Currently I paint regularly with a wonderful group of artist friends at Duncton. It’s lovely to support, encourage and share knowledge and ideas. They are my ‘tribe’! But I do also enjoy being isolated in my own space at home to complete work.
In 2024 I collaborated with a pianist from New York who composed some pieces inspired by my paintings of the South Downs here in West Sussex. This was a great experience as music, art, and literature are so closely linked.
I enjoy writing prose; it helps explain my thought processes and whilst building up a new canvas reminds me of the first response to my subject? that hopefully reflects in the work.
STUDIO PRACTICE
My average working day might begin with writing and sketching an idea from a walk on the Downs, possibly the evening before. I enjoy cropping and playing around with these images before thinking about transferring an idea onto canvas.
I enjoy experimenting with different media and surfaces. Wood is great for textures, khadi paper for sketching.
I also enjoy using mixed media, watercolour and pastels as well as charcoal and chalk… depending on the subject matter.
Iris ‘Rambling Rector’, purchased at Denmans Garden, grows in Sandra’s own garden.
I like to think my work is constantly changing, hopefully getting looser, by use of visible brushstrokes. I aim to allow the viewer to incorporate what they see.
My most recent solo exhibition ‘Quiet Reflection’ was in April at The Oxmarket Contemporary Gallery in Chichester, a charity organisation that has gone from strength to strength and is run by a wonderful team.
Which leads me to now and the very exciting challenge of taking on the role of Artist-in-Residence at Denmans Garden.
The following reflects my first thoughts after accepting the role of Denman’s fourth Artist-in-Residence at Denmans Garden.
We are all connected
‘Cowslips and Chalk Paths’, a painting of the South Downs near Slindon by Sandra Izard.
In nature I am in constant awe of the complex patterns that the seasons produce.
I regularly walk on the Downs behind my home, taking in the ever-changing light, the breathtaking views and observing the wildlife.
A field of Cowslips gracefully gives way to the wild Orchids, followed by swathes of Poppies and Oxeye Daisies.
A strip of blue on the horizon… Clymping beach not far from sight.
Spring leads to Summer and all the while observed by the ancient chalk path… leading me to the foot of the Downs whereby I find myself at Denmans.
Mrs Robinson’s innovative introduction of using water worn gravel from the sea bed around Clymping beach, to create the soft curved pathways and dry riverbed…inspires me.
Living in Slindon for many years and a frequent visitor to Denmans garden, I have only recently realised the family connections.
Mary Izard’s (Gran) diary includes references to Joyce Robinson.
My husband’s Grandmother and Mrs Robinson were certainly acquainted, and I have delighted in the discovery of mentions of tea and drinks together in her detailed diaries!
She had also recorded her daily ‘Jobs to do in the garden’… she perhaps gained knowledge and tips from Mrs R?
Clymping Beach was a favourite place to swim, and I believe for the Robinson family too. There are many connections and influences here.
I confess that my knowledge of plants (particularly their Latin names) could be better!
My Garden is a very ‘natural’ one.
I delight in the wild orange Poppies that appear just as the Weeping Pear branches bow their heads, and the new buds of white Lavender spring up …entanglement being the result.
Rosebay Willow Herb in the evening sunlight on the South Downs.
Fireweed (or Rosebay Willow Herb) inspires me, especially in the low evening Sun. Beautiful on the Downs and very much welcome in the garden!
I enjoy bringing flowers into my home to incorporate into a still life painting… all part of the process.
Composition, colour, tonal contrast and texture all play an important role. I love the different seasons and elements that they bring, I never tire of seeing the same landscape as it changes all the time.
I am not sure what the year ahead will bring. Plenty of challenges for sure and a very welcome opportunity to escape into a garden that promises to heal, restore and develop new ways of seeing.
I hope to incorporate a sense of the history of Denmans… to capture the essence of Mrs Robinson’s vision whilst also depicting it as seen today through the Artist’s eye.
The biggest challenge for me is to find a way to capture the uniqueness of this very special place in a way that compliments this narrative.
A favourite quote…
“Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness. “
Anni Albers
Denmans too!
The same applies when I’m slowly meandering through the Garden.
