Sharing the Story
By Sara Bell of SB’s Artistrees
November 15, 2024
November 15, 2024
Artist’s Statement:Sara Bell has always drawn. As a child, her mother would say, “Go to your room and DRAW something!” when Sara needed a break. She later earned her BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, moved to Northern California, and had 2 children.
Now, she lives in Western North Carolina and embodies the John Muir quote, “And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.” She ventures off into the mountains and off the beaten path to find beautiful, peaceful places to sit and draw. This provides her with respite from her main task of caring for her autistic son.
|
|
Then she can return to the hustle and bustle of her world with a clearer mind and peaceful soul. She also develops and completes the drawings using water to lift the inks and watercolor techniques to add color. Once complete, her images capture the beauty and peace of being in the woods.
Most recently Sara has been working in a variety of water based mediums. Her primary modality is to go out into the woods, find a magical place that calls to be drawn and sketch it using water based ink pens. Then she returns to the studio and uses layers of water colors and other inks to fully develop the image capturing the peace and beauty of the natural world.
At other times, Sara returns to the discipline of detailed watercolor painting, drawing and intaglio printmaking to develop her images further. Allowing her to explore deeper themes inspired by her exploration of Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart and the therapeutic journey she has been on with her ausome son and her neurotypical daughter.
Sara says: “ I hope you can look at my images and find yourself reminded of being in the wild places and through that, connect with the natural peace being in the presence of trees can provide.”
Find this original watercolor painting on Sara’s website.
Artist’s Note:
Sharing our stories is one of the most powerful ways to connect with other humans. The acts of telling and listening offer healing and hope. What I love in this image is how the trees hold space for the offering of connection.