About Sarah
My studio mascot, Annie, and I along the Appalachian Trail
above the Shenandoah River.
Information about me:
Formal Resume - education, exhibitions, etc.
Where you can purchase my artwork:
The Fine Arts People Gallery in
Exton, Pennsylvania
The State College Framing
Company and Gallery
in State
College, Pennsylvania (beginning
in July, 2008)
Art 4 Gallery in Hollidaysburg,
Pennsylvania
(beginning in
October, 2008)
In my studio, by appointment
I'm originally from southern Wisconsin (go Badgers, go Packers!) and I began my artistic career as a color stylist for Walt Disney Feature Animation.
I now live and work as a professional artist in central Pennsylvania. Landscapes and cityscapes are my favorite subjects and I paint exclusively in the medium of soft pastel, sticks of pigment that produce vibrant and expressive colors when applied over textured paper.
During the warmer times of the year, I often work outdoors, directly on location, to capture the many beautiful landscapes around my home. I also find inspiration in the natural and urban scenes that I encounter while traveling throughout the United States.
I began exhibiting my work in 2003 and my paintings are now part of private collections throughout the country. In addition, I've won several awards in competitive national juried exhibitions. Some highlights include the following:
- In 2006, my cityscape, The Steel Mill, Bethlehem, PA, won an Award of Merit at the Maryland Pastel Society's national juried exhibition.
- I also received the "Best First Time Exhibitor" award at the 2006 Mystic Outdoor Art Festival in Mystic, Connecticut.
- In addition, my cityscape, The Conversation, won the Ferol Good Memorial Award in the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania's 2006 annual juried exhibition.
- In 2005, my cityscape, Under the El, Chicago, won the Canson Award at the Connecticut Pastel Society's 12th annual national juried exhibition
- Also in 2005, my cityscape, The Steel Mill, Bethlehem, PA, received the top award in the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania's Annual Members Show
- In 2004, my cityscape, Homeless, Downtown D.C., was published in the Pastel Journal as part of their annual "Pastel 100" competition, which highlights the best one hundred pastel paintings in the country
- Also in 2004, my cityscape, Waiting to Cross, Downtown D.C., won an Honorable Mention in the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania's Annual Juried Exhibition
- In 2003, my landscape, Windswept, Kauai, won the Salmagundi Art Club Award in the Connecticut Pastel Society's 10th annual national juried exhibition, Renaissance in Pastel
I live in central Pennsylvania with my husband, Tim, and my very spoiled dog, Annie. Over the past several years, I've served as a board member for the Maryland Pastel Society and the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania. I am also a member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association. In addition, I teach a popular class on color for beginning artists at the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania during the fall of each year.
You can find my original pastel paintings at the Fine Arts People Gallery in Exton, Pennsylvania. Beginning later in 2008, you will also find my artwork at Art 4 Gallery in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and at the State College Framing Company and Gallery in State College, Pennsylvania. In addition, I participate in a few select juried art festivals each year. For more information, please visit this year's art show schedule page.
Artist's Statement
My pastel paintings are a visual diary of the people and places I've observed throughout my travels in the United States and beyond. From the spectacular natural beauty surrounding my home in the central Pennsylvania mountains to the distinctive lights and personalities of cities, there's nothing that I love more than using the vibrant medium of pastel to capture these venues and make them my own.
I do much of my work in my studio, although I also paint outdoors in the beautiful central Pennsylvania landscape to sharpen my observation skills. I'm attracted to landscapes with dramatic angles, impressive skies, and natural bodies of water. In my cityscapes, I like to bring beauty and emphasis to aspects of urban environments that many of us would normally look past as we rush through our daily routines. These paintings capture a range of subjects, from unique vantage points of the people who live and work in the heart of cities to the buildings that dominate their environment.