Interview with an artistic legend

Exeter Today spoke to acclaimed artist Sophie Tea Art, following her visit to two charity shops in central Exeter as part of her viral TikTok series, Charity Shop Friday.

Sophie explained how her original inspiration to become an artist came in 2014, after a spontaneous painting experience during a holiday to India following completion of her business degree.

“I remember, there was loads of graffiti on all of the walls, and I was running out of money, so I literally just randomly asked the hostel manager if I could paint in return for a free stay, and he said yeah. I realised then that painting was what I wanted to do with my life.”

Above: Sophie painting the Monopoly board. Image: Sophie Tea Art

After receiving rejections from every gallery she applied to, Sophie realised she would need to take a different approach towards building a career in art and began harnessing the power of social media.

“Social media has been my entire career. When I returned from India, I emailed my grad scheme saying, ‘Hi, I don’t want to become a consultant anymore', and then all of a sudden, I was an artist. The very first thing I did was post on Facebook.

“I have my own gallery now on Carnaby Street, but we’ve never gone down the route of being represented by another gallery, mainly because at the start, my work wasn’t very good and no one wanted me. But then I realised really early that there was so much demand on social media for that direct connection with your audience.”

Above: Sophie meeting fans. Image: Sophie Tea Art

Sophie explained that at this early stage in her career, she also couldn't afford the 50 per cent commission that galleries would often charge for representing an artist’s work.

“I was able to do a better job of promoting myself on social media, being my normal self rather than being pretentious or acting like some fancy art person. Social media is literally the way I’ve marketed my work.”

Sophie added that although she gets the majority of her sales through Instagram, she believes that leaning into her authentic self has played a key role in growing her larger TikTok following.

“I consider it future-proofing my business. I’m connecting to such a younger audience and getting them involved in art in a way they didn’t think they could do so before. 

“Art shouldn’t just be for people who can afford to buy it. It’s a public right; it should be consumed by everyone. We do as much as we can to make artwork free and make our art gallery an immersive experience.”

Above: Image: Sophie Tea Art

Sophie’s original inspiration behind the Charity Shop Friday series, which involves her buying an item from a charity shop, painting it, and returning it later that day, came from a desire to reconnect with her fans upon returning to the UK after five years living in Sydney.

“I wanted to see everyone in real life again, so I came up with a concept that would get everyone together. Walking past a charity shop literally gave me the idea there and then.

“The first item I painted was a bag, and we waited for about 15 minutes until someone came running around the corner. It’s funny; now we have to do a full raffle because it's so busy; people arrive before I even get back!” 

Sophie explained that a particularly successful month of sales at the beginning of this year gave her this unique opportunity to spend some time giving back to her fans.

“I mean, I still do art exhibitions. The last one I did, which was about four months ago, was a live nude series at the London Palladium. I had these amazing women walk naked down a catwalk, and I painted all over them. But I never got to see anyone at the end of it. I just wanted to connect with my audience and find a way to say thank you.”

Above: Sophie painting the doll's house. Image: Sophie Tea Art

Fans can request that Sophie visit their local area through a form on her website, and she apparently received many requests to come to Exeter. 

Sophie explained that many of these interactions can feel quite emotional and recalled a particularly touching moment in Exeter, with the local who won the doll’s house from Jelly on Fore Street.

“She had bought pieces in the past and had just had a new-born baby, and she was holding the baby that the doll's house was going to be for, which was so nice.”

You can stay up to date with Sophie’s upcoming exhibitions and discover how to visit her London concept gallery through her website.

You should also stay tuned with her social media channels to see the outcome of a future charity event at an animal rehoming centre in Oxford.