Sarah came to
painting after pursuing four earlier careers. She began her adult
life as a classical cellist, playing chamber music, in symphony
orchestras, and teaching in North, South, and Central America.
She then developed an early learning Spanish program and taught
young children through schools and daycare centers as well as
privately. Later she built a service business which she owned and
operated for almost nine years. During that time Sarah returned
to school and earned a Masters in Counseling. She worked in
Mental Health, in a great variety of settings for 12 years before
turning to painting. Her rich life experience has played a unique
role in Sarah’s development as an artist, leading to a
contemplative handling of her subject matter as well as a broad
spectrum of content.
My
mother-in-law used to say, “Life is bitter enough, Sarah. At
least put sugar in your coffee.” I never did, nor do I drink
coffee any longer. But I do believe life is bitter enough,
especially in our overworked, over-technological age where
productivity is the name of the game and the proverbial bottom
line is the ultimate measure. In my work I strive to discover the
beauty that surrounds us, and bring it into focus. In short, is
life worth living if we do not stop to smell the flowers? This
does not necessarily involve afternoons in the country for the
pretty vistas, or worldwide travel chasing the exotic. The focus
of my work has been on capturing the unique in the ordinary, the
beauty in the mundane. Like the impressionists, I paint from
everyday life and the world around me, in order to share what I
see, what so often goes unnoticed at our hectic modern pace: the
unusual angle of a fork next to a gracefully draped napkin, the
way a fly lands to busy itself on a flower petal, sunlight playing
with colors reflected in a bit of standing water. I explore the
play of light and shadow, and bring my subjects alive with color.
The work grounds the viewer in concrete reality as well as the
infinite and ever-changing possibility of the human and natural
environments. I paint in oil, on large canvases.
Education:
Licentiate of Music, McGill University, 1974
Masters in Counseling,
Webster University, 1994
Studio Art classes at University of New
Mexico, 2003-2006
Group Shows:
2009:Dragonflies and Butterflies,
Placitas Visual Art Series, Placitas, NM
Encantada 2009, RGAA Annual Juried
Show, Albuquerque, NM
Ouray County Arts Association 48th
Annual Alpine Holiday Show, Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico Arts League 80th
Anniversary Juried Show, Albuquerque, NM
Artist’s Escape, UNM Cancer Center,
Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair, T-shirt
Artist, Albuquerque, NM
Contemporary Realism, Matrix Fine
Art, Albuquerque, NM
Gateway to the Imagination, National
Juried Competition, Farmington Museum, Farmington, NM
Masterworks 2009, Albuquerque, NM
Dragons and Butterflies, Placitas
Visual Art Series, Placitas, NM
2008: WaterWorks, MoRo Gallery,
Albuquerque, NM
Red, White and Pink, MoRo Gallery,
Albuquerque, NM
Placitas Artists Series, February, 2008
MasterWorks 2008, Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico Arts & Crafts Fair, Albuquerque,
NM
Our Father’s Garden Fine Art Grand Opening,
Albuquerque, NM
Encantada! 2008, JCC, Albuquerque, NM
2007: The Birds & the Bees, Harwood
Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico Arts & Crafts Fair, Albuquerque,
NM
The Influence of Photography on Art,
MoRo
Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Encantada 2007, Arts Alliance
Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Wining & Dining, One-night Show,
Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
Solo Shows:
2009: Touching a Chord, Hamilton
Public Library, Hamilton, New York
Touching a Chord, Hanover New,
Hampshire
2008: Summer Wining and Patio Dining,
MoRo Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Touching a Chord, St. Bart’s
Cathedral, New York, NY
2007: Taking Wing, Solo Show,
Albuquerque, NM
Publications:
Conceptions South West, UNM Press, 2008
Conceptions South West, UNM Press, 2009,
Editor’s Pick Award
Galleries:
Our Father’s Garden Art Gallery, 10127
Guadalupe NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114
Matrix Fine Art, 3812 Central Ave. SE,
Albuquerque, NM 87108, June 2009- present
Porter Studios and Fine Art Gallery,
Hamilton, New York, August 2009-present
MoRo Gallery, 806 Mountain Road NW,
Albuquerque, NM 87102 (505) 884-4887 CLOSED OCTOBER 2008
KAGAN & BARON, 443 E. Main St., Montrose,
CO, 81401 (970) 249-5409 CLOSED DECEMBER 2008
Awards:
Madonna Daniel Emerging Artist Award, 2007
(Harwood Art Center)
Daler-Rowney Award, Encantada! 2007
Merchant Award, Encantada! 2008