Sophie Lewisohn: Capturing a moment

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Sophie Lewisohn’s work ranges from striking linocuts of daily life to paintings of musicians that are full of energy. What they have in common is their ability to draw you into a story. They are often based on experiences that mean something to her, or moments of connection. Her linocut of Wimbledon Village captures her memories of her route to school. “I was trying to convey that feeling when it’s already dark outside and you’re coming home at four o’clock, the first stars might be up and there’s that pre-Christmas bustle.” Working on it some years later required a lot of patience – and coffee stops. “I had to try out several cafes to find the ones with the best angles to draw from, and then put them together into one print,” she says.

Sophie is now based in Amsterdam with her husband and their two young children. It was becoming a mother that inspired her most personal artworks, the Motherhood Series. Initially, they were private pieces but the friends she showed them to commented on how much they resonated. Rather than showing the idyllic images of pregnancy, childbirth and the early months that are often portrayed, the linocuts display the realities such as morning sickness and night-time feeds in an often graphic yet poignant way. “Friends wanted me to share them because there is not enough work out there which makes this side of becoming a mother normal and visible. We are too hesitant about sharing the reality of it and not just the best moments. It is getting better but I am glad to be able to contribute to normalising it.”

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Artwork 1: ‘Maria and Nathalia’ / Artworks 2 + 3: Part of the ‘Motherhood’ series

Her linocuts also feature everything from park scenes to a library, a wine vault and backstage at a concert. Music is a big influence in her work, with her painting collection bringing to life the energy of performance. “I’m surrounded by musicians. I’m married to a musician. My sister is a musician, and my mother ran an orchestra for young musicians and still runs a chamber series, the Marryat Players, so it’s been a big part of my life forever.

“There are lots of moments that really lend themselves to a composition where you’ve got many good shapes and different dynamics between people. I’m fascinated by the challenge of conveying something as intangible as music on a 2D canvas.” 

Becoming an artist was not her original career path. Sophie worked as a journalist, first in London and then Brussels. However, she was always drawn to art. “I loved painting and drawing. It was my favourite thing to do, whenever I had the chance. I guess it took me a while to realise it’s okay to do that as a career.”

A lucky chance gave her the opportunity to pursue it full time, when she was offered an exhibition in the Netherlands. The exhibition went well, and she never looked back. “It’s been my full-time occupation for the last seven or eight years now. I’m exploring it all the time and love it.”