SARAH WINKLER | FOLDED EARTH, OPEN SKY
Sediment of Stillness, acrylic on panel, 60 x 48 inches
Foster/White presents, Folded Earth, Open Sky, a collection of new paintings by Sarah Winkler. Her compositions are initially mapped using paper collage, then developed into full-scale landscape paintings which convey geological strata formed over time.
River Rock: Quartzite, Basalt, Moss Agate, acrylic on panel, 30 x 30 inches
My paintings are a captivating fusion of art, geology, and environmental storytelling, deeply rooted in the rugged and dynamic landscapes of the Mountain West, the Southwest’s high desert plateaus and the Pacific Coastal Ranges.
In Folded Earth, Open Sky, I layer my paintings to resemble geological strata, embedding minerals such as mica, obsidian, marble, and sandstone into each piece. These materials bridge the tangible and abstract nature of the physical landscape with my artistic interpretation of it. As a mirrored compositional approach reveals subsurface geology and the visible world above, a dialogue emerges between what is beneath and what is experienced, what is seen and what is reflected. Compositions appear folded with earthbound rocks and minerals suspended in layers while floating in an open sky.
I focus on the ecosystem as a whole. Snow-capped peaks flowing into rivers and wetlands are tied together with seasonal and climatic events as each holistic scene becomes a microcosm of time and place. I decide which specific landscapes or moments to capture as a result of connections made to place during my travels. I seek out geological or ecological features that speak to me and allow space and time to fully absorb chance visual experiences, such as rainbows over Mount Rainier, solar eclipses in the path of totality, or a prismatic dust cloud sunset at Big Bend National Park. These spontaneous moments crystallize a region’s mystique and set the course for creative exploration. In each painting I aim to channel the awe of the present moment alongside the vastness of geological time. — Sarah Winkler
Coastal Range, acrylic on panel, 60 x 60 inches (triptych)
Winkler’s paintings can be found in galleries throughout the United States and Canada, and have featured in numerous museums and art fairs across North America. Works are found in over 100 prominent US and international collections, including Maker’s Mark Whisky in Kentucky, Vail Health in Colorado and Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Winkler is a participating artist in the US Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, where her work was showcased at the American Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.