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About Sarah

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 in the medium of soft pastel, sticks of pigment that produce vibrant and expressive colors when applied over textured paper.

During the temperate seasons 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 numerous awards in competitive national juried exhibitions. Some highlights include the following:

• In 2009, I won the Robert and Virginia Mountz Award of Merit at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
• 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 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

My studio mascot, Annie, and I along the Appalachian Trail
above the Shenandoah River.

I live in central Pennsylvania with my husband, Tim, and our 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 State College Framing Company and Gallery in State College, Pennsylvania and at the William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, New Jersey. 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.

My field easel with a small piece done on location at
Windswept Farm in central Pennsylvania.

Artist's Statement

I see the world with the volume turned up.

My pastel paintings are a visual diary of the people and places I observe throughout my travels. 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 locales and make them my own.

Light at the edge of day, near sunset or sundown, is most intriguing to me. I'm attracted to landscapes with dramatic angles, impressive skies, and natural bodies of water. In my cityscapes, I emphasize aspects of urban environments that may be overlooked as we rush through our daily routines. These paintings capture a range of subjects, from dynamic, down-the-street views to intimate portraits of anonymous individuals.