Focus on Local Studio Artist, Sarah Waldron
Sarah with Micah
Designing art on a computer keyboard is no match for the physical process and tactile sense one gets whilst mixing a pallet full of colorful, creamy paint and applying brush strokes to canvas. This was reason enough for artist Sarah Waldron to set forth on a new journey as a fine artist and leave behind a long-standing position as a graphic designer for the food packaging industry.
The fascination with her current subject matter, water, started back in 2007. While on a walk with her dog Mica, Sarah paused to toss rocks into the river and took notice of the ripples that where created and how they would bounce off objects thus creating more ripples. This cause-and-effect became very symbolic as they reminded her of a past collector and frequent visitor of her studio. “I never got to know her that well, but was impressed with her vitality and strength.” Sarah continued, “I didn’t realize how much impact she had on so many others, until the day I received an email telling me of her passing.” Hundreds of people responded, relating stories of how she had tirelessly helped and touched their lives. The art patron and the ripple effect connection came to fruition while preparing for an upcoming show. Shifting the focus of her paintings to the many intricacies of water, one of our most vitally important and mysterious elements. The subject matter has kept Sarah challenged for over five years now.
Sarah's Art is the Cover for the February 2013 Review
The tranquil feeling of water and the bright colors of her pallet make Sarah’s paintings a perfect fit to contrast the neutral colors found on hospital walls across the country. The art is much more functional in this case compared to hanging on a gallery wall. Sarah explains, “Many patients such as those with dementia and memory problems are able to find their way around the hospital halls and back to their rooms due to their ability to remember the imagery of the paintings.” Witnessing the looks of wonder as patients’ eyes moved from piece to piece, taking them to a different place away from their illness, (if even for a moment.), left a lasting impression on Sarah.
She credits the book, “World Impressionism: The International Movement 1860-1920” as a major influence in helping her painting skills progress. Within its pages she learned of the Spanish artist Sorolla, whom she describes as the master of the figure and possibly the greatest artist ever. Sargent, Chuck Close, Wayne Thiebaud, her peer artists and a trip to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris have all provided influence and motivation throughout her career. One of the more profound adventures of Sarah’s métier would be a six-week artist residency, living and painting out of an old Abby in the bucolic French countryside of Brittany, France. Seeing firsthand how the other resident artists worked through problems and the struggles they went through was an invaluable experience, which she is eager to partake-in again.
Socializing with the local shop owners and residents that frequent town on a daily basis gives added value to working out of her downtown Jacksonville studio. She arrives early in the morning to take advantage of the northern light that shines through the large windows. The light provides preferred natural light to work from, a first-time luxury in her painting career. Having already seen many changes in the four years since moving here, Sarah looks forward to continued connections with her fellow artists in the Rogue Valley and being part of its growth as the art community moves to the forefront of life in Jacksonville. See more of Sarah Waldron’s work at: www.sarahwaldron.com.