We’re looking forward to introducing you to Sophie Green. Check out our conversation below.
Sophie, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately I’ve been enjoying the company of my new pet cat.
I adopted her recently (and unexpectedly) after my dog passed away and a friend found a stray cat living in his shed. She has never had a home, so is thoroughly enjoying all of the love and luxury (and food) I’ve been giving her. As far as cats go, she’s also very affectionate and loving!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sophie Green and I’m a British contemporary artist and conservationist, trying to use my art to celebrate and protect the natural world. I work in a variety of mediums and styles, but I prefer to paint photorealistic portraits of animals to tell a story. My goal is always to capture not just an animal’s physical presence, but their spirit; I want to connect people with wildlife and nature.
My artistic contributions to the world of conservation is what makes my work meaningful to me and keeps me going when the going gets tough! I work with some amazing conservation charities and organisations and whether I’m travelling to remote parts of the world for inspiration or exhibiting work to raise awareness, I’ve shaped my entire practice around the idea that art can be a force for good.
I have just started my newest series of paintings; The Natural Order, in which I use the behaviours and hierarchies of the animal kingdom to mirror our own society. The series is allowing me to explore social themes in a more symbolic way, using wildlife (which I know so well) as a lens through which I can better understand human society and this strange world we’ve created!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was always exactly who I was meant to be. When I think about my childhood and who I have ended up as today, it doesn’t really surprise me that I am an artist, who lives in the woods and paints mainly animals.
As a child, I had a severe anxiety disorder called ‘selective mutism’ and I was unable to speak in most social situations. I sought solace in nature and animals. I was obsessed with the animal kingdom (in particular cats) and would make my own animal encyclopaedias and fact files. I spent almost my entire childhood outside, come rain or shine, making dens, climbing trees, riding my bike around. I would wake up in the morning, run outside and come back at night. On days I was forced to stay inside, I would draw – usually animals!
I was still forming ideas about the world and the people in it and I sometimes think that I still am. But I have always had a trust in the natural world, the creative world.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
I think I spent most of my childhood in a state of survival. Constantly plagued by an inability to speak and being told that I was different or a nuisance. My family called me ‘kid in the corner’!
The only thing that helped was being out of the house and in nature – whether it be up a tree or in the woods, or throwing sticks into a stream. I also enjoyed creating – drawing, colouring, building furniture for my beanie babies, etc. My brother was 10 years older than me and was my first art teacher. I enjoyed sitting on the living room floor with him and drawing and painting. He’d give me constructive feedback and that’s where my love of art began.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is definitely a facet of me. I think most people can intuitively smell when someone isn’t being authentically themselves, so I’ve always tried to bring my own personality to my work. This hasn’t always necessarily served me well in arty ‘networky’ scenarios, but I think has definitely helped me to grow a wonderful community of people who enjoy my work.
Social media has definitely allowed me to connect with many lovely people from all over the world, but as with most people, I tend to keep my private and my public life separate – giving people just enough insight to feel that they’re a part of my world. I think that my social media platforms portray the happy, carefree, thriving version of me – all of the successes and results get displayed. But I think my friends would say that I’m a much deeper thinker, more serious at times and more of a worrier than my social media shows. I’m very introvert and enjoy my own company, go for a daily walk in the woods, escape into my own little world and daydream endlessly. There’s also lots of other things that don’t make the social media cut – like my exceptionally strong friendships, my obsession with health and wellness, my all-consuming fear of getting cancer, etc etc.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop scrolling on my phone! I’ve actually downloaded an app that stops me going on any social media apps between 10am and 6pm, but I still play games, take photos and videos, message my friends all day. Sometimes I feel like I’m living through my phone instead of being present and in the moment. Even when I’m playing with my cat, I’m taking photos and videos of her – I’m not even looking at or engaging with her, I’m just staring at her through my phone screen.
I think that we waste so much time on our devices. We get sucked into social media algorithms, news echo chambers and YouTube wormholes. Now, as a society, we’re so divided and struggle to see other people’s points of view because we’re not reading newspapers anymore, we’re just getting our own personalised news, tailored to our own fears and political biases, pumped into our eyeballs and our ears constantly.
I think I need to start living like I did only have a few years left to live!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophiegreenfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiegreenfineart
- Twitter: https://x.com/sophiegreenart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiegreenfineart
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