Sarah Winkler

Sweet Grass and the Crazies

2021

Art Statement When I look at the grand Western landscape, I see a moment caught in time. A layer of rock and mineral resting between climatic and geological events. Their surfaces scarred by glaciers, the ridge lines formed by tectonic uplifts and erosion. All evidence of a landscape that has experienced dramatic shifts in character over time. Though the action of painting geological formations using abstraction, organic textures and luminous color, I can convey how natural physical forces work to shape a constantly changing environment. Geological research of specific areas assists in the visual and thematic choices that create each body of work. I work experimentally with materials and tools to find textures and imagery that mimic the forces and patterns of nature. Textures that tell the story of the ancient landscape as well as those rapidly changing today as a result of climate change. A hard edge, cut collage aesthetic in the work shows a process of layered formation, of taking a history of marks and gestures and recreating the terrain anew. Landscapes are not static and are constantly evolving and adapting to shifting environmental conditions. Artist BIO Sarah Winkler is a British born, American contemporary landscape painter who has lived most of her life abroad in countries such as Malawi, Africa and Brunei, Borneo. She has lived in the US since 1989 and has spent over two decades living and working in California and Colorado. She studied Art and Earth Science at William Paterson University and combines both subjects in her landscape and environmental artworks. The artist is best known for her monumentally scaled, color rich, luminous paintings that interpret the geological storied past and eventful present of the formation of the American wilderness landscape. She incorporates ground water, crushed rock and materials from the landscape in her paintings to create moments of connection, exploration and discovery. Winkler has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally in galleries, regional museums and art fairs since 2004. Her work was recently showcased at the LA Art Fair, Art Aspen and the Jackson Hole Art Fine Art Fair. In 2019, Winkler was selected by US Ambassador, John Pommersheim and the curators of the Art in Embassies program to participate in a 3-year International exhibition at the Ambassador’s residence in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Winkler was also invited to exhibit at the Colorado Governor’s Residence in Denver. Her artworks are in many private, public and corporate collections. These include The Phoenician and Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley, AZ. The Hilton West Palm Beach, FL. The InterContinental St Paul, MN. The Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas. The Viceroy Aspen. Ritz Carlton, Denver, CO. One Empire Pass, Montage, Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT. Chevron HQ and San Francisco General Hospital, CA. Features and reviews of her work have appeared in publications such as Scientific American, Dwell, Alpine Modern, Mountain Living, Luxe Interiors and Design, CREATE! Magazine and New American Paintings.