Sarah Winkler
I am fascinated by environmental factors that shape the natural
world and seek to imitate their destructive and constructive
qualities in an artistic technique. I conceptualize each work by
relating the action of painting to the geological story of erosion
and formation.
Each painting is the final product of an extensive method that
begins with sketches and photographs of landscapes I have
visited. I translate these visuals into collages, using paper that
I have designed through experimental processes. I then develop
the collages into large-scale, highly stylized acrylic-on-panel
paintings. A strong horizon line dividing the pictorial space shows
that what rises above ground is created by the geology below. The
materials I use are mixed with natural minerals such as marble,
mica, and iron oxide, cementing the narrative connection of the
works to their subject. I also use solvents, natural resists, carving
implements, and sanding tools to mimic the kinetic processes of
erosion and deposition. By applying paint in this way, I create a
history of gestures that form naturalistic abstracted landscapes.