Enjoy the elegant and serene portfolio of artist Sarah Moffat, and visit her website to see more from this artist.
Although I have been an artist all my life, I feel like I am at a very exploratory stage of my career, and I hope that never changes.
In my work many techniques come together. It often starts with the application of a metallic foil as a base which creates a unique luminous aspect, which is often holographic. Visual textures and sometimes physical textures are then applied with acrylic paint and at times with a process similar to silk screening.
The lacy texture is achieved by essentially silk screening an acrylic plaster onto its metallic background. A serious of acrylic colour washes and glazes sets the colour tone and mood for the next step, the application of the tree, flower or fish. This is achieved by applying a polyester resin into the desired shape and then applying another layer of metallic foil on top. Both the form and the back ground are individual works of art that combine to create a holistic, tactile image.
My work is very straightforward with no socio-political agenda, but I do believe it has value based on it’s technical merit as well as it’s subject matter. I know they’re just trees, fish and flowers but they are built differently than an average painting and I know my work it affects people, including myself!
My most recent flower series represents my great enjoyment in sculptural painting! Abstract landscape comes alive through layers of colour that are poured and blended allowing “nature” to take its course. Generous bits of metallic foil and texture lie beneath the surface catching the light as the day moves through the room.
I attended Toronto’s Ontario College of Art and Design in the mid-eighties, where I took courses in plastics, silk screening and mold-making, all of which have proven indispensable in creating the art I make today. From here I went onto owning my own specialty interior painting business and became well known for my metallic ceilings and glazed walls. From this experience I acquired an indispensable knowledge of colour and visual integrity that I now bring to working on a smaller, more portable scale.
Born in Toronto in 1966, my childhood included travelling from Toronto to the Bahamas by boat and living in the islands for four years. Then during my teenage years I lived in our family run restaurant & hotel in Mont Tremblant, QC. I now live and work in the artsy town of Almonte, Ontario. My studio is the bottom floor of an old flour mill right on the banks of the Mississippi River, where I can be found paddling or swimming as a diversion from my work!
Sarah Moffat invites you to follow her on Twitter.
Sarah your work is lovely. I’m biased based on my own artwork, but I beg to differ — they’re never just “trees, flowers and fish.” Every work evokes an emotion in your viewer. Certain elements bring a soothing or poignant, or familiar or happy reaction more than others. This is a gift you give to people! Most of my pieces have been sold into healthcare settings for that reason — we hope they make people feel better during a difficult situation.
your work is very unique and beautiful Sarah…and I agree fully with Julia above!