Beautiful Inside and Out

Growing up, I heard my Mother often say things like "pretty is as pretty does".  She seemed to have a saying for every possible occasion.  She was very big on first impressions, though, and if someone appeared to her at first glance in an unfavorable way, she tended to stick to her initial opinion of that person.  I fnd that my own sensitivity to others' feelings has me searching their eyes, words and body language to see how they really are on the inside.

In some ways my artistic sensabilities are like that, as well.  I like to ask God for His heart and His eyes to see people, and there are times when I see someone, often a child, who is hurting or ill or poverty stricken, I get a vision of - maybe just a glimpse of - how God sees them.  So the two paintings in this post are taken from photo references of real people in Africa.  The waif in rags that were almost falling off became a beaming angel child, and the mother who looked positively murderously angry became a wary warrior on behalf of her toddler.  I hope you enjoy them and whatever you see in the images.

Makeda Mekelle

(Amharic for "Beautiful, Who Is Like God")

Oil and gold foil on linen

I Know Who I Am

Acrylic on canvas

It seems that more and more I'm painting people and angels!  You can see more of my angel paintings on my blog www.angelsinpaint.blogspot.com.

For prices and availability, please email me at contactme@sarahpaints.com.



Silent Film Stars

Clara Bow

"Give Me COLOR!"

Acrylic on canvas, framed

Anna Mae Wong

Acrylic on canvas, unframed

For the October, 2011 gallery show at our studio, entitled "In Honor of Women", I created these paintings to honor the gifted women who pioneered silent films.  Clara Bow is still well-known today, almost a century later, and her pixie face and sex-kitten appeal came through beautifully in black and white movies.  Even without color or sound, she had a huge screen presence, and the roar of her talent still reverberates.  She was so vibrant that I felt she would have loved to be portrayed in outrageous color, so I did this painting of her.  I think she'd enjoy it, and hope that you do.

When I found a photograph of Anna Mae Wong that was really "art" and not merely a stock photo, it wow'd me, and I had to paint her, too.  My Dad was a photographer who did his own developing and everything.  He took some pretty risque pix of my female relatives back in the 1930's, semi-nude with the draping and over the shoulder "come hither" looks made so popular by the photographers of Hollywood's starlets.  My Dad's work was truly "art".  I got my artistic talent from his side of the family lineage.  And although I wasn't familiar with Anna Mae Wong before, I'm now not only impressed with her acting and her beauty, but with the unknown photographer whose talent inspired me to do this painting!!!

I've got one in mind of Theda Bara that I want to do after the style of Klimt..... I'll post it if it comes to life.....  and then there's Greta Garbo and so many other women who became stars with and without sound or color... Who knows?  This may start a whole new chapter of the kinds of paintings I do!     



If You Only Knew Me Back Then....

You would have heard me say some pretty awful things about abstract art.  When I was young and stupid, but thought I knew oh-so-much, I thought abstracts were lazy and absurd - certainly not showing any creative discipline... well, you get the picture!  I was arrogant.

In 2010, the artists at the studio/gallery where I've been working decided to have a month-long gallery show with the title, "Absolutely Abstract".  I was horrified.  I "didn't DO" abstracts.  But being a team player, I groaned and agreed to try.

I only stopped painting abstracted images due to lack of time to produce any more before we had to hang the show!  I churned out 14, and loved every minute of this new creative mode.  To be fair to those who do abstract work on a regular basis and are passionate about it, I only call mine "abstracted" images.  Some are representational and some, well, you can just make up what you want to see in them!  So here are some of them in one long text.  You may scroll down quickly or linger, depending on where your opinion of abstract works happens to rest at the moment!

Solitude

SOLD

Palm Sunday

30" x 24" acrylic on canvas

Falling Blossoms

24" x 36" acrylic and metallic foils on canvas

The Blood and the Glory

Tryptich, ea. 12" x 24"

Acrylic and gold foiled paper on canvas

Garden Aftermath

Dyptich, ea. 12" x 24"

Acrylic on canvas

These are the only paintings that made it to my printer for 'capture'.  There are others, and if there's enough interest, I will gladly post my own photos of the finished pieces.  I hope each of us can keep on stretching from what we already know and are comfortable with, to experience and discover other wonders that are out there, somewhere!

Blessings,

Sarah

There's Just So Much To Paint!

Right now I spend about 6 days a week in my studio painting.  I admit that part of that time is spent socializing with other artists and visitors and students ... but I'm so thankful for having this time to paint!  I wish there were more time in a day, and more days in a week... to spend creating new works...

And I realized that I have a website with my earlier paintings, and a blog with my angel paintings, but not one with other kinds of things I've painted recently.

So here's a symbolic painting I did that's not on my website.  It's called 'Whatever It Takes' and is the portrayal of my intent to protect my daughter from her enemies.  Hope you like it.