C+B: Tell us about yourself, Denise!
DS: After over twenty years working as a literacy teacher, my husband and I made a bold jump, moving to his home country of Sri Lanka, to live in the Central Highlands. The land is rugged, rural, every shade of green, and mountainous. Our first goal was to build a home, then immediately thereafter, create a retreat...a sanctuary surrounded by nature, with 360 views, cozy lodging, a yoga and meditation deck, and most importantly, a space that would provide peace and open time for creative pursuits. We call it Haven by Jayabima Jiva and it is listed on Airbnb as the Tiny Home in Thalathuoya, Sri Lanka.
In addition to running the Airbnb, we grow many plants and trees on the property, like pepper, mango, papaya, pineapple, cashew, moringa, guava, passionfruit, and many, many flowers! We would like to see the entire hill alive with every bloom possible.
It is likely no surprise when I say the driving force behind my decision to come to Sri Lanka and choose a far more isolated and simple lifestyle, was to pursue my artistic dreams with devotion. I have always been an artist, even if I didn't always have the confidence to say so and I now want to give that vocation my full attention.
C+B: What well-known piece/work would you use to describe yourself?
DS: Love this! This question stopped me cold for hours. Perhaps, The Secret Garden, and more specifically the character of Mary Lennox. Like Mary, the act of taking a wild, overgrown patch of earth far from where I grew up, putting on durable boots, digging into the soil, and in the process of rewilding the land, completely rewilding myself.
C+B: How do you deal with ebbs and flows in creativity, the highs of a finished piece, the lows of writer's block?
DS: Trust. I have a long standing backbone of spirituality, have been a seeker all my life, primarily built out of Eastern traditions and I know how much I can rely on the changing nature of reality. All will pass. Good times will pass, so don't get too attached. Bad times will pass, so don't fret that they will last forever. All is in flux, all moves and one only has to watch the skies, listen to the wind and the birds, our own heartbeats, to know that we can rely on the changing nature of life to move us through.
C+B: What impact do you hope your work has, whether on you, the audience, the world?
DS: With fewer distractions, life here is reflective and I found that my greatest desire was to simply be allowed to live a creative life. Away from a job that consumed my waking hours and energy and finally have the opportunity to fully express the creativity that I have always felt was inside. Away from the trappings of modern life and surrounded by nature, to have ample time and space to explore all that has built up over decades and give it expression on the page, or canvas, or even in the dirt.
I want to share that with others as well. My work speaks to a freedom of spirit that I try to cultivate with my life choices, daily pursuits and overall values. We all so sorely need that nudge, encouragement, even permission sometimes, to fly towards what you most hold dear and I hope that my work can be a humble catalyst for that.
Find and support Denise here:
IG: @dmssabine_art
Website: denisesabine.substack.com
(Up Wilder, acrylic, 40cm x 60cm, ©Denise Sabine)
Lately I’ve been drawn to: Lately, I have been obsessed with drawing and specifically, portrait drawing. Two artists, Becky Seaby and Rita Kwong introduced me to Chloe Briggs, an artist in Paris who offers weekly, free zoom session (links can be found at drawingisfree.org) in which all participants draw each other, one at a time, to a track of music. Chloe's work is expressive, colorful and gestural and I am very inspired to infuse my own portraits with some of this energy. It is also great fun to view the portraits of the fellow zoom goers after the session-we all approach the models so differently!
A medium I’ve never tried but want to: Lithograph. I love them! The dreamy quality, an end result that will always be something of a surprise and the process. I appreciate the amount of time and sensitive consideration involved to create a piece. The only constraint against giving it a go is the equipment involved. I know there are simpler ways to achieve a similar result but I would like to learn the fundamentals first.
