I was born in Montreal yet have been living in Vancouver BC for almost half my life. I'm an abstract painter who loves line, transparency, and colour and relishes the freedom of process and interplay and conversation between the painter/viewer and the canvas.
When was your first realization that you were an artist?
The short version is this: I was told early on that I couldn't draw so I studied science and then psychology for a long time, finishing with a PhD in Child Development.
| Especially 36x36 © Sara Morison |
Then I had 2 boys and wanted to be at home with them and it was while they played in the park that I started copying the drawings of their 'Lucky Luke' comic book covers. This came so naturally to me that I thought... this is what I want to pursue now and here I am 9 years later painting full-time!
Art Making Process
I love the intrigue and mystery of abstract art... the conversation between the viewer and what they see, how it makes them feel. I love the versatility of acrylics, from transparency to thick opaque washes and how mark making with watercolor pencils, graphite, inks can mingle and interact with the paints. I usually limit my palette and see where that takes me, having no preconceived notion of the endpoint. The process unfolding, reacting, inviting, playing create a slice of life.
Music and Painting
Classical or nothing... I love silence
Finding Inspiration
I find the easiest way to get over the hump is just to dive in, mark up the canvas, cover areas in transparent washes, do this all without too much thought and then once the canvas is no longer blank, stand back, see how I feel and invariably I dive back into it, adding or masking what I don't want or like... it's a creative dance!
| Always on my mind 48x36 © Sara Morison |
Leisure Activities Besides Art
Tennis and biking in the gym, reading, family time, sipping wine and playing (or I should say learning) bridge!
Recent Paintings
My husband took me to Bermuda in June and so my colour palette has shifted to greens and turquoise and pinks and I've also discovered ink washes and line work... always something new to play with in my abstracts!
Personal Best Painting Ever
I find the work that I am most excited with and satisfied tends to come quite quickly and without much thought... pure instinct, emotion and heart.
| Glimpsing the water's edge 40x60 © Sara Morison |
Artists Role
I think the artist's role is to share, to challenge, to excite, to make you pause and engage, to tantalize and capture moments of beauty and wonder.
How do I Sell my Art?
I sell, I rent, I gift...you never know when someone, the right someone, will happen upon your work and connect to it to the point of wanting to revisit it again and again. I participate in group shows and guild sales and had a successful show last summer in Montreal at my brother's house with family and friends.
Promote Art Online
I send out a quarterly newsletter with photos of past shows and updates on upcoming ones, I have a Facebook page which I post on regularly, do a bit of tweeting and post a weekly blog where I recently did a series called Sara on Sarah (discussing Sarah Thornton's book 7 days in the Art World) and now I'm doing a series called Studio Visits where I visit artists' studios and blog about them... it's a great way to see where and how others create! www.saramorison.posterous.com
Artistic Influences
Steven Aimone has been a big influence in my work...he's a wonderful teacher and mentor. I love the Abstract Expressionist movement and Painters Eleven.
| Soaring above the water 30x36 © Sara Morison |
Modern Contemporary Artists
There are many contemporary artists whose work I love, just to name a few: Barbara Nerenz-Kelley, Audrey Phillips, Margaret Glew and Melissa Hosfelt Mason...all women who love line and colour and expression, I could stare at their works for hours!
Memorable Travels
In 2007, when my sons were 10 and 12 years old, my husband and I took them on a 5-month trip around the world. We explored the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Egypt, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland... and I would do it again, especially the adventure of it all... the food, the landscape, the people, the colours, the quality family time, the ups and the downs... a truly amazing experience!
Future Artistic Aspirations
Traveling and painting, with a glass of wine or a cappuccino playing bridge... aaah the life!!
| Wrapped in colour 48x60 © Sara Morison |
Artist Advice
Love what you do so it doesn't feel like work... enjoy the process of creating as those moments are what make up your life... don't be afraid to share your art with others and try to get out there and connect because relationships are so important, the discussions, the interactions, the stimulation all help to propel the creative world.
Sara Morison - Acrylic Abstract Paintings
British Columbia, Canada
Website: Sara Morison
Twitter: @saramorison
Facebook Page: Sara Morison Art
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