Sarah Vandepeer came into the world in a bit of a rush having been born in the back seat of a car (which had hit a kangaroo) at Keilira, 30 miles from the hospital in Kingston, South East South Australia. She is a middle child with two brothers and was brought up on a large beef cattle and merino sheep property. In order to complete her schooling Sarah was sent to boarding school in Adelaide, where she remained until joining the Army in March 1985.
Art was always a passion for Sarah, and following in her talented-painter mother’s footsteps, she went on to qualify and work as a graphic artist. Times were tough and work scarce, so after spending a year in the Army Reserves as a Military Police officer, Sarah joined the Army full-time to become a reprographic illustrator within the Royal Australian Survey Corps. This was short lived as she was accepted for entry to the Royal Military College, Duntroon as one of the first group of women, graduating in June 1987. Her artistic talents were to be put on the back burner in pursuit of a career as an Army Officer.
In 1996 Sarah survived the Port Arthur massacre, being one of the few to walk out of the Broad Arrow Cafe alive. She was subsequently discharged and thought that her promising career was over. She overcame the challenges and went on to have a career in the Airline Industry working for Cathay Pacific Airways, as the Regional Catering Manager Australia and New Zealand, and as the General Manager of Alpha Flight Services in Melbourne.
Settling down and having a child meant the busy career was not sustainable, so she re-enlisted into the Army Reserve to undertake some writing and policy tasks while raising her son. In 2013 she was asked to rejoin the Regular Army on the pretext of increasing the number of women in uniform. This coincided with her undertaking a property development and a large mortgage, so the timing was quite opportunistic.
In 2016 Sarah lost three of her family, missing at sea, presumed dead. Although she’s a tough nut, it was soon after this incident that Sarah chose to rediscover her creative pursuits as a way of healing and nurturing herself, knowing full well what the residual damage of a traumatic event can be if not well managed.
Eclectic and diverse, Sarah likes to dabble in a multitude of creative styles and mediums. From creative writing and amateur poetry, to painting, drawing, printmaking and digital art, they are all part of her portfolio, as is furniture restoration and a few other crafts. Never afraid to use a strong and bold colour palette, and flitting between digital, traditional and contemporary styles, she continues to search for her niche.
Sarah is currently studying a Diploma of Visual Arts part-time and has been accepted into RMIT in 2021 to undertake an undergrad course in Fine Art. She is currently transitioning back to the Army Reserve to concentrate time on her passion as an emerging artist.
Life at present is good for Sarah, even under Covid 19 lockdown. The slower pace, and living comfortably in a grand old heritage home that inspires creativity, complete with studio, are all attributing to producing more art.
The walls are filling up so the next challenge is to exhibit and sell.
Check out her Insta page @marby_road_art to see more of her work.