Sophie Elizabeth-Moore has always loved drawing and painting, particularly people. At the age of 12, she distinctly remembers deciding that she wanted to become a fashion designer, and from that moment she followed a creative path that would shape both her career and artistic practice.

After school, Sophie studied Art and Design at Central Saint Martins before going on to study Fashion Atelier at UCA. Following graduation, she worked as part of the design team for a fashion brand in London. In 2015, she returned home to Cornwall to build a life with her husband, who runs a surf school on the North Coast.

Sophie is fascinated by people and clothing. She loves people-watching and hearing about the lives and experiences of others, believing that we learn and grow through connection and conversation. She is equally inspired by the way clothing can express personality, emotion and identity. Through her paintings, Sophie creates characters with their own stories, captured within a particular place and moment in time — often walking the coastline, swimming in the ocean or resting beside the sea.

The coast and ocean evoke a depth of emotion in Sophie unlike anything else in her life, and this feeling is reflected in the expressions of her subjects, who often appear lost in the moment or filled with certainty and quiet defiance.

Above all, Sophie hopes that viewers feel a connection to a time, place or memory when they encounter her work. She especially loves seeing her paintings find a home in someone’s life.