Born in Melbourne, Australia, Sarah Hankinson is a visual artist, educator and community facilitator whose multidisciplinary practice is rooted in observation, connection, and care for the natural world. With over two decades of experience spanning commercial illustration, fine art, and community engagement, her work explores themes of place, ecology, and everyday beauty through painting, drawing, and collaborative making.
Working predominantly in watercolour, pastel, oils and ink, Sarah’s practice is anchored in slow, attentive processes that celebrate texture, light and botanical forms. Her still life and landscape works offer quiet meditations on the spaces we inhabit—inviting reflection on nature’s rhythms, emotional tone, and our evolving relationships to land and environment. She is particularly drawn to the details of the Australian bush and garden, finding endless inspiration in the shapes, shadows and seasonal changes of plant life.
Sarah has exhibited widely and collaborated on numerous public art projects, including murals, residencies and socially-engaged installations. Her creative projects often bridge disciplines and centre around inclusivity and wellbeing, fostering environments where creative expression is a vehicle for connection and reflection. As a co-founder of The Windsor Workshop—a creative arts organisation based in Melbourne—she facilitates participatory art events, incursions, and community activations designed to bring people together through hands-on artmaking.
A passionate educator, Sarah teaches across a variety of settings including adult education, community centres, and schools. Her workshops focus on observation-based drawing and painting, encouraging participants to slow down, engage with materials, and embrace play.
Her work has been featured in local and national publications, and her illustration career includes commissions for Australian and international clients across editorial and publishing. In recent years, Sarah’s focus has expanded to encompass arts-based wellbeing and mental health programs, aligning her creative output with broader conversations about mindfulness and the role of art in everyday life.
Through her practice, she hopes to offer moments of stillness, beauty, and thoughtful engagement with the world around us.
In 2024 Sarahs book Art Class Flowers and Foliage : Creating Contemporary Botanical Art was released.
Sarah continues to live and work on Boonwurrung Country, where she acknowledges the deep knowledge and ongoing artistic traditions of First Nations people.
Photos by Becca Crawford
