Contact Sarah:
axox@sbcglobal.net
sarah@sarahgreenart.com
facebook
Signature Image
Speedpro
When I was a girl, two prints of posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec hung in our living room. At 13, to my utter delight, I received a book that contained an almost full catalogue of Lautrec's work. He thoroughly communicated the ambience of the smoky, loud dance halls of Paris and the strange effects the limelights and gas lamps created. I would sit for hours melting into Lautrec's vivid oranges, absinthe greens, spicy browns, velvet blacks, eerie lavenders. He imparted the essence of the characters who populated Paris' bohemian nightlife with a marvelous economy of line. Lautrec used a only a few black strokes, yet I felt I knew the dancer "La Goulue", with her spidery legs, frothy petticoats and pointed chin. I loved her.
The early impact that Lautrec made on me, with his surreal hues and his sparing lines, remains an intrinsic influence on the work I do today. I have learned from him to be freely inspired to use color beyond its expected limits, and to work from natural impulse. His work has taught me to retain the vigor that comes from working quickly and with certainty. I seldom rework portraits. I prefer them to remain as they first are concieved. I use unusual color mixes to try and communicate, and even magnify, personality. I delight in soaking a surface with something beyond the ordinary and expected.
