Artist in Residence is an ongoing Assembly Label series that brings the work and perspectives of contemporary artists, designers and makers into our world. Each residency unfolds across our spaces and stories, reflecting a wider Assembly Label point of view shaped by art, design, culture and the people behind them.
For Spring ’26, we invited Sydney-based painter Sara Mugnes to create two original works. Her paintings take shape gradually, guided by instinct rather than a fixed outcome. Working through staining, layering and intuitive mark-making, Sara often paints outdoors, allowing her surroundings to become part of the process. We spoke with her about painting outside and how place and feeling find their way into the finished work.
Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your practice?
My name is Sara Mugnes and I’m a painter based on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. I’m interested in how a painting evolves through the act of making, and how material, environment and instinct can shape the final work.
What first drew you to painting?
Making art has always been part of my life. It was never a conscious decision to start drawing or painting – it was just something I did. When you're really young, you create without thinking too much about the outcome, and I think part of my practice now has been trying to return to that way of making.
How did you approach these two works?
I kept coming back to patience, time and gradual change. Painting can feel very immediate – you put paint directly onto a canvas – but arriving at a work takes repetition. My process is quite responsive, even if someone only sees the finished work, everything I experienced and felt while making it becomes part of what they’re looking at. So rather than sketching everything out beforehand, I allowed the works to develop as I was making them. I never really know how a painting will turn out, and that element of surprise is something I love.
You often work outdoors, including at Narrabeen where we photographed you. What does working within the landscape bring to your practice?
Starting a work outside gives me a jumping-off point because the environment becomes part of the painting. If I'm working on top of grass, for example, the texture might come through the stain in the canvas. I might take something from a shape or silhouette in the landscape, or simply the feeling of being there. It's not necessarily about painting what I can see, but painting how being there makes me feel.
You've considered both the front and reverse as part of each work. Can you tell us a little about that approach?
During the process of staining the canvas, I started to notice that the marks created on the underside of the work were really beautiful because I wasn't in control of them. I can only see what I'm creating on the front, and then I turn the canvas over and there's this completely unexpected response on the other side. There's only so much control you can have over a painting. The paint, the material and the environment all affect it, and at some point you have to surrender to the process. I love when a work can be viewed from both sides because the reverse almost becomes another painting - it adds another layer to the story.
Is there anything you’ve been looking at, reading or listening to lately?
I enjoy learning and reading about the artists I admire and are inspired by - painters like Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler and Cy Twombly.
Are there any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative rhythm?
Being outside and in nature inspires me. It helps me to slow down and spend time in my own thoughts. I think it’s important to go out and experience new things in life so you have something new to bring to your art.
If someone spent a day with you, what would they notice?
Probably that my mind is always going a million miles an hour. I’m constantly noticing things around me. I’ll stop to photograph really random things – a crack in the pavement, a piece of rubbish, leaves or flowers on the ground. Something about the composition or colour will catch my eye. My camera roll is full of completely random photos.
What are you looking forward to as the weather warms?
Just being in the warmth of the sun, swimming in the ocean and long summer nights.
Discover more of Sara’s work at @saramugnes, and visit our Paddington Boutique in Sydney to view her two original works in person.
