Sarah Cliff x Mailchimp

Last year the very talented Sarah Cliff was invited by Mailchimp to paint her first ever mural for their beautiful new Atlanta Headquarters which opened earlier this year.

The 10-story office space features over 200 custom works of art commissioned by artists and Intuit customers from around the world to inspire and help employees do their most creative work. The aim was to create an environment that reflects the Mailchimp values, whilst also fostering creativity and a celebrating international artists.

Each floor was dedicated to a different art movement, with Sarah’s beautiful work being selected for the ‘Pop Art’ floor.

Check out the full final artwork below, along with some insights from Sarah herself talking all things Mailchimp, murals and future goals…

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What was it like to paint your first large scale mural?

It was exciting and refreshing to step away from my screen for a week and to get to travel for work for the first time. I won’t pretend it wasn’t daunting but I had lots of advice from some muralist friends about brushes, rollers, paints and other things I would never have thought about but were absolutely vital such as buckets for water and rags.

It was so exciting to upscale my work and I really enjoyed the process, climbing up and down scaffolding, listening to music and painting – I can’t imagine anyone wouldn’t enjoy that!

What did this opportunity mean for you?

In initial discussions we spoke about personal projects I had made and that was the starting point for the design of the mural. It was affirming to be asked to create work based off the self directed work and to get the opportunity to recreate it in a working environment. It really meant a lot and I feel a new confidence in my work, which has caused me to reflect on the importance of being as authentic as possible in my creative practice moving forward.

What were your inspirations for the artwork?

Some of the risograph and screen prints I made were definitely a starting point for the design. I grew up watching 70s puppet shows that my parents liked on VHS such as the Herbs, Bagpuss, Hectors House, the Clangers, etc. Art from that decade feels psychedelic but sort of wholesome at the same time. I wanted to inject some of that into the work, along with humour.  I listen to a lot of music from the 70s too, Joan Armatrading, Joni Mitchell, Judee Sill, they all soundtracked this project for sure.

What was the process to create the mural?

In the year prior to the initial email from MailChimp I got into print making, hoping to add a hands on element back into my practice. The screen printing process informed the way I designed the mural, thinking in layers and limited palettes.

I planned out the image in Adobe Illustrator and then using a projector I blocked out the main shapes and sketched in the line work, before spending the rest of the week painting out all the details. I spent a lot of time adjusting curves and playing with shapes in Illustrator so I wanted to reflect that in the painting, to keep it graphic and bold.

Objects such as the teapot and the cup made up the initial structure of the image and the more organically shaped characters and objects mimic the objects. For example, the hand on the hip of the person and the way the dog is pointing with one paw to mimic the handle and spout of the teapot and then the cat is copying the person by holding flowers. The Peach is the Symbol of Georgia so I wanted to include that too.

I used rollers for most of it, angled brushes for the edges of the shapes and sign writing stripe brushes for the line work which I did at the end.

How was it being in Atlanta?

When I arrived I went to a local bar where I met some really friendly people who gave me some recommendations, one of which being a Halloween parade in the neighbourhood the next day. I couldn’t start painting until the Monday so I went along, not expecting much because we don’t really make much of a thing of Halloween in the UK. I got pumped on sugar and coffee in an amazing diner next to my accommodation before I went to the parade and it blew my mind. The costumes were absolutely incredible, the atmosphere was the perfect start to the week.

Another highlight for me was the Belt Line, a disused railway track that runs though the city which has been converted into a footpath. It’s used for walking or cycling and skating through the city, it made for great people watching and there was really beautiful wild flower planting either side. I didn’t have to use any other transport apart from when I arrived from the airport as the new Mailchimp HQ is also on part of it.

I had a look around some neighbourhoods and one highlight was a fully functional video rental shop where I bought a zine about other stores that are still functioning across the US. Atlanta is a cool city full of tall trees, great food and kind people – that’s how I would describe it.

Has this project given you the bug for more large scale work?

For sure! More murals please! I’d especially love to go back to the states and paint more there.

What is the next project you are manifesting?

I’ve really enjoyed seeing my work on fabric for the designs I made for Bandana of the Month Club. I plan to take my screen printing into textiles soon and am dreaming up a collaboration with a clothing brand one day. I have also been working on some animation so would love to utilise that further in my work.

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Special thanks to Mailchimp’s in-house creative team, Wink Creative, for commissioning Sarah and making the whole experience so enjoyable throughout!

Sarah’s full portfolio can be found – here!