Finding sanctuary
- Jamie Crocker
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Words by Jamie Crocker
Sophie Velzian’s My Helford Sketchbook feels both deeply personal and celebratory of place.
It captures moments in time and space, ameliorating her frame of mind, “The deep green reflections gather at this end of the beach, wrapped around the rock slabs that skirt the bay. I am bathed in the greens – calming, rejuvenating. I have the place to myself, I rejoice.”
Art is a healing power, and for Sophie it has been especially true this year. After a sudden detoriation in her mother’s health from vascular dementia which brought a profound change to the family, Sophie sought sanctuary in her art and sketchbook as she navigated the challenging change in circumstances.
The verdant beauty of the Helford River exerts a constant pull. Soft, moody light filtering through the trees and the enigmatic character of its creeks create an atmosphere that feels both calming and deeply connective. Swimming beneath the Monterey pines as they cast emerald shadows across the water offers a sense of deep restoration, while time spent along the shoreline becomes a genuine escape from the wider world. The journey to these quiet coves, crossing open fields and descending ancient woodland paths, plays as important a role in the creative process as the painting that follows. This relatively undiscovered corner of Cornwall remains treasured by those who appreciate its unspoilt views, a sentiment Sophie shares wholeheartedly. The painting Frenchman’s Creek Dusk captures that connection, its brooding palette and distinctive headland frequently resonating with others who hold the Helford close to their hearts.
My Helford Sketchbook evolved quite organically. At first, Sophie worked largely from memory and photographs, but midway through the project, she decided to fully commit to plein air painting. At the time, she was partway through the year-long Professional Landscape Painters mentoring programme at the Newlyn School of Art, where she was encouraged to embrace working directly from life. During this period, several weeks were spent exploring Harris, Lewis, Skye, and Loch Fyne in Scotland, travelling mostly by motorhome. Seeking a medium that was portable and relatively mess-free, she turned to gouache, which proved ideal and began keeping a dedicated Scotland sketchbook, painting every day from remote lay-bys and beaches. The views and shifting light were breathtaking, even amid the June rain, and she became completely absorbed in both the medium and the process. Painting outdoors felt deeply energising; she loved how elements like sand or grass would sometimes mix into the paint, becoming part of the texture itself.
On returning home, Sophie continued her plein air practice. Daily walks with her dog and regular swims became integral to a creative rhythm, with the same places appearing throughout the book. Favourite spots along the Helford River – Grebe Beach, Bar Beach and Scott’s Quay – draw her back time and again. Though familiar, they are never the same twice; each visit reveals new light, colour or atmosphere, while the distinctive silhouettes of the Grebe trees and Scott’s Quay headlands offer a reassuring continuity.
Painting often sparks instinctive moments of inspiration: a glint of light, a particular colour, a fleeting mood. Those instincts now guide both the visual work and the written reflections. On the walk home, Sophie often speaks her thoughts aloud, finding the words to capture the essence of the moment so that, once in the studio, the writing can flow naturally.
Working outdoors has become central to Sophie’s artistic practice. Painting en plein air allows a deeper absorption of each location — noticing ephemeral changes such as a passing cloud or a glint of sunlight on the water — and finding ways to capture the exact feeling of the moment. While working on Bar Beach recently, a sudden burst of sunlight illuminated a single frond of seaweed in the shallows, transforming it into a vivid coral glow. The effect felt like an actor stepping into a spotlight, a moment that later inspired Seaweed in the Shallows. Back in the studio, experiences like these are distilled into short written passages that accompany the paintings, offering glimpses into the stories behind each scene.
The studio practice operates quite differently. Original gouache studies provide reference points, yet new pieces are given space to develop their own rhythm and direction, guided by the behaviour of the oil paint. Recent work has leaned further into abstraction, moving beyond direct representation so that each canvas stands on its own, defined by its particular energy and identity.
Colour remains at the core of Sophie’s approach. Bold tones often play a role, but equal attention is given to the nuanced shades found in skies and shadows. The unexpected hues that surface within neutral palettes are a constant source of fascination. The Orange Buoy is a clear example, showing how depth and form can emerge through restraint and the delicate interplay of muted colours.
She regards My Helford Sketchbook as central to her practice. Her intention is now to produce an edition each year, reflecting whatever she has captured over the months. Rooted in her home, daily life, and personal rituals, the sketchbook remains the heartbeat of her work. Alongside these studies, she continues to develop larger paintings, while also taking her sketchbook to “guest” locations that fascinate her. Plans include a return to Scotland and a trip to Orkney, where her husband’s family and the Velzian name originate.
Sophie’s sketchbooks capture freshness and immediacy, with gouache proving the ideal medium for capturing the fast changing conditions. By contrast, the large canvases, executed in oil, evolve slowly, built up in layers that create a sense of history within the paint. Oil pigments offer the depth, colour and richness that Sophie loves, and the process often begins with loose applications before marks are refined using palette knives, squeegees, brayers and brushes.
A lifelong passion for painting and drawing made art college an inevitable next step after school. Four years of Fine Art at the Slade School of Art in London followed, a period that broadened artistic horizons beyond painting into photography and sculpture. Phyllida Barlow, one of the era’s most remarkable tutors, provided invaluable encouragement and helped nurture a young artist’s confidence.
Breaking into galleries in the mid-1990s proved difficult, especially in a pre-social-media landscape. Engagement with the early Internet opened an unexpected door into web design and user experience, leading eventually to a fifteen-year career at Microsoft. The skillset built during that time now underpins an efficient and professional approach to self-employment in the arts.
Those years also cultivated a deep appreciation of place – quiet corners, stillness and immersion in the natural world. After so long spent in front of a computer, most days are now devoted to being outdoors and away from crowds. The emotional experience of a landscape is as essential as its visual qualities. Peace, joy, calm, awe and excitement frequently arise when surrounded by nature, and conveying that emotional resonance to the viewer is central to the work. The paintings aim to create positivity, offer a sense of escape and encourage a more attentive appreciation of nature’s moments.
Studio routines shift with the demands of each project. Work tends to be quick in pace but layered in structure, building a sense of time into every surface. Books and other artists provide constant inspiration – favourites include Joan Eardley, Andrew Gifford, Barbara Rae, the Impressionists and Turner. Recent discoveries of Canadian and Australian Impressionism have sparked interest in how colour palettes shift in new climates.
Even on days without a brush in hand, time in the studio is never wasted: framing, photographing finished pieces and keeping on top of the administrative side of an artist’s life all play their part, often with a laptop close by.
The hope is that the work uplifts and inspires – celebrating the healing power of art, the beauty of Cornwall, the value of being outdoors and the importance of slowing down to live fully in the moment. Colour and the joy of painting sit at the heart of every piece. Looking ahead, plans include developing larger works from this book, travelling again to Scotland and Orkney, and publishing a first Scotland sketchbook in early 2026.
Sophie exhibits with the Summerhouse Gallery in Marazion and will have a solo show next autumn which will be based on a new sketchbook and paintings collection.
