Sarah Shatto-Jones
Artist Statement
I have always been a collector, storing my treasures of letters, rocks, coins, pictures, shells. Little did I know that my affinity for collecting found objects would become an integral part of my process as an artist. I enjoy taking time to experiment and play with each artifact; I also enjoy creating rich textural surfaces through mark-making, using materials in non-traditional ways, and incorporating found objects. I admire the process of adding materials, subtracting away, and continuing to distress and rebuild the surface through various manipulations of my chosen materials. In this way my surfaces show a bit of the journey the piece has taken in order to reach its final state. Nature has become a common thread linking my work in terms of color schemes, patterns, inclusion of natural elements, and most recently, subject matter. Whether inspired by a particular shade of azure blue from the sky, or the spiral shape of a fiddle head fern beginning to prod its way from beneath the earth, these works are an exploration of God’s treasures. My work is also rooted in my love of books and words, and the immense power I find within them. I am a writer who paints with images and text, often incorporating text as a texture within my pieces, allowing some words and phrases to appear are more obviously to the viewer than others. I know they are there, acting as silent prayers within the piece, an integral component to serve as the foundation for each work. Whether verses, lyrics, poems, or original writing, they help me to reflect and focus on the experience and/or memory I am trying to depict, helping to infuse the mood of the piece. These words, images, objects, and natural materials coincide to form a foundation of as well as the intricacies of memory woven within their juxtapositions.
Artist Statement
I have always been a collector, storing my treasures of letters, rocks, coins, pictures, shells. Little did I know that my affinity for collecting found objects would become an integral part of my process as an artist. I enjoy taking time to experiment and play with each artifact; I also enjoy creating rich textural surfaces through mark-making, using materials in non-traditional ways, and incorporating found objects. I admire the process of adding materials, subtracting away, and continuing to distress and rebuild the surface through various manipulations of my chosen materials. In this way my surfaces show a bit of the journey the piece has taken in order to reach its final state. Nature has become a common thread linking my work in terms of color schemes, patterns, inclusion of natural elements, and most recently, subject matter. Whether inspired by a particular shade of azure blue from the sky, or the spiral shape of a fiddle head fern beginning to prod its way from beneath the earth, these works are an exploration of God’s treasures. My work is also rooted in my love of books and words, and the immense power I find within them. I am a writer who paints with images and text, often incorporating text as a texture within my pieces, allowing some words and phrases to appear are more obviously to the viewer than others. I know they are there, acting as silent prayers within the piece, an integral component to serve as the foundation for each work. Whether verses, lyrics, poems, or original writing, they help me to reflect and focus on the experience and/or memory I am trying to depict, helping to infuse the mood of the piece. These words, images, objects, and natural materials coincide to form a foundation of as well as the intricacies of memory woven within their juxtapositions.