Aesthetically pleasing
Words Emily Pattullo
Owners of McLeod’s Brewery, Clayton and Geoff Gwynn, were looking to make their branding more dynamic, so when a family connection put Sarah’s name into the ring as a possible candidate for such a task, what came out of it was surf aesthetics inspired by vintage travel posters. It started in 2015 with posters for McLeod’s Longboarder and Chili Pils, and has since progressed to their cans which now all feature Sarah’s artwork. The collaboration is ongoing with the prolific introduction of new brews by McLeod’s. “Sarah is an incredibly talented artist but also a fantastic person to work with,” says Clayton.
Sarah takes her inspiration from 1980s vintage; she paints “covetable aesthetics” which she explains inspire the observer to “hold, look at, and explore”. This is something she has achieved very successfully both through her designs for McLeod’s and also copious album covers.
Working in watercolour and digital media, Sarah majored in painting and minored in printmaking at RMIT in Melbourne, where she also met Pip Brown, aka Ladyhawke. The pair flatted together in their early twenties, where alter ego Ladyhawke was born, and Sarah’s journey doing the artwork for her album covers began. An ideal pairing that kicked off the 1980s influence, with Ladyhawke’s music being a revival of the Eighties sound that became popular during the Noughties, Sarah’s work has maintained a similar style, and also caught the eye of another musician; UK artist, Passenger.
It was Sarah’s design for Passenger’s 2014 album, Whispers, that earned her a Grammy nomination. The singer wanted a nostalgic design, so Sarah came up with a vintage children’s book-style, a la Enid Blyton, with a pop-up element. Sarah explains that aesthetics are a huge part of her artwork: “I want people to experience ‘climbing in with their eyes’.”
Sarah recently directed a photo shoot for Ladyhawke’s latest album, Time Flies, with Argentinian photographer, Lula Cucchiara, and is now working on a new project for Passenger. As well as her ongoing working relationship with McLeod’s, Sarah also does commissioned artwork, all from her hilltop home studio in Titirangi whilst being a mother to her five year-old.
www.instagram.com/SarahLarnach.Art
www.internationalrescue.com/artist/Sarah-Larnach