In Transition: An Artist's Journey by Rebecca Toedter
To know Sarah Coleman is a pleasure in and of itself, but to experience her art is inspirational and uplifting. This once undiscovered gem, who spent her teenage years in Auburn, has returnedto the foothills of the Sierra once again. With time and experience under her belt, Coleman brings a refreshing perspective to her art and life. Her journey since leaving the rambling hills of Auburn more than ten years ago has twisted and turned, but ultimately directed her course back home. Now nestled into the spacious hills of Grass Valley, Sarah Coleman is exploring her painting while carving a new path into a community that embraces the arts...
In order to make ends meet in the high-priced City by the Bay, Coleman joined a team of painters who exclusively painted faux and decorative finishes throughout exclusive and wealthy homes in the Bay Area. Although the faux work was generally a backdrop to something else like a couch or fireplace, it was during this time that Coleman's attention to detail began to merge with her abstract impressionist style. Coleman became fascinated by the grains of wood she would so delicately and precisely imitate. She examined every fence plank and floorboard exhaustively, each grain, each knot, and each color of wood...
Although one might conclude that her style has changed dramatically since her days as an abstract-impressionist, the brushwork of the wood, although seemingly focused on revealing precise, realistic imagery, actually derives predominantly from the artist's emotion and imagination. Although the brushstrokes are longer, and the color palette has changed from her large portraits, the sensitivity to patterns of light and dark, patterns within and beneath the grain, evoke a stillness and complexity that draw the viewer not only intos Coleman's imagination but also into the world of natural beauty... Coleman is in transition and she is excited about the personal and artistic growth that change has always brought her. "I've realized in the last few years how true it is in life that one thing leads to another and I've decided to give into this and trust it, rather than fight it - it's more fun that way," says Coleman. And how has this journey from one thing to another happened so far? "One day I'm applying for college, thinking I'm gonna be a photographer," she says. "But I end up painting. Then out of college, I intern with an interior designer who turns me onto something called faux painting and pretty soon, I'm crouching on the floor 8 hours a day woodgraining someone's baseboards, day dreaming and reeking of paint thinner, and next thing I know, I'm selling my own woodgrain paintings in galleries and getting calls from the Oprah Winfrey Show... So now I find myself living in the country and my surroundings and subject matter have shifted pretty dramatically, but I welcome the change and I like it. I'm excited to see where it takes me... Change is good!" Today, Coleman and husband Akim are enjoying the slower pace that the Sierra Foothills provide. The couple has been back in the area for nearly a year, and already she's found new inspiration. The vast skies and hillsides--all the foothills' natural surroundings--have sparked a new transition of patterns. Patterns in weather and landscape. Coleman still uses the woodgraining tools she used on her wood series, but now she is experimenting with different media, such as aluminum leaf, creating iridescent and translucent textures in her work. She is currently working on a five-piece series as a vehicle for this latest expression. The five pieces, although unique from one another, explore both graphic and ethereal qualities, each in different measure. Woodgrained hillsides and patterns of lightning emblazon the wood panels through motions of color and light. Coleman says her woodgraining days aren't yet behind her, nor her interest in abstract-impressionistic work. She says she'll keep each style in her back pocket and rely on them whenever she needs to pull them out. For now, Sarah is happy to be creating art in her new environment, one which embraces artistic expression. "Nevada County is a special place, it has so much heart." she says smiling.
Rebecca Toedter is a graphic designer, artist and writer based in Auburn Ca.