Interview with artist Sara Lee

Interview with illustrator and painter Sara Lee

More than meets the eye is how I would describe the works of Sara Lee. The first thing to greet your gaze is the rich colors, next are the curve, the shapes, the steady lines and the flowing, and then..you meet the eyes of the subject. A lot can be held the eyes and when I gaze into her subjects sculpted eyes I’m sucked in as if the room around me as turned into a dark expanse depending on the painting that dark expanse can swing between the terrifying and sad, and the joyous and rejuvenating. It’s this ability of Sara’s to weave these profound feelings in beneath each works first impression of colorful pop surrealism that caught my own eyes and has not yet let go.

Where are you from and what was life like growing up there?

I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and lived a very typical suburban experience: a
spacious house with a fence on a sprawling lawn next to neighbors whose cats I would
sometimes look after. We always had large family gatherings at the house during the
holidays. I genuinely enjoyed my school years, and I made good friends. As I got older,
though, I felt a growing sense of isolation. It felt homogeneous and everything was so
spread out. This probably explains my desire to escape it all and live in the city as an
adult.

What is your first memory of being creative?
Ever since I was a child, there was this urge that undeniably sprang from witnessing
my mother’s paintings. She was very artistic, and I would always admire her work. It
definitely fueled a curiosity in me to draw. I remember the compulsive need to make
marks on every surface I could get my hands on. I would scribble on the walls of my
house, in all the books, and on any piece of paper. There was this incessant desire in
me to express myself even if the drawings literally made little to almost no sense.

Can you walk us through your creative process?
I draw every day, and I make sure I get my ideas in my head immediately down on a
piece of paper or on my iPad. I always like to start with a concept. I often take those
ideas too and create a visual moodboard. I’ll research a bit on Pinterest or other
sources and find inspiration from other artists. I like to gather reference images. From
there, I just draw and start composing, usually on my iPad. I often work digitally and
build out my compositions with the Procreate application. The composition is
sometimes already figured out before I start drawing, and I take a big leap from start to
completion. Other times, I can get stuck halfway and start to improvise the drawing. I
find my process to be a bit scattered, but I always make sure to get those ideas down
before bringing them to fruition.

A lot of my work starts off digital, but I’ve recently started to translate my digital
drawings to physical, traditional mediums such as oil, acrylic, and/or colored pencil and
gouache. I’ve been really enjoying this process. Painting digitally or painting on a
canvas requires very different approaches, but I’m learning a lot and expanding on my
drawing techniques.

How would you describe your style of art?
My work can be described as an intersection of design and fine art with a mix of pop
and surrealism. My graphic design background most likely informs many choices I make in my paintings. I gravitate toward using bold, vibrant colors and graphic shapes or
iconography juxtaposed with softer, natural forms. I also draw inspiration from comics
and pop art. I just love the contrast and interplay formed between graphic linework
next to the organic elements. Surreal themes also play a big part as I often like to
capture a dreamlike vision of femininity.

What are some of your early inspirations and have those changed over the years?
My mother has always been a significant early inspiration for me. She passed some
time ago, but she remains a big part of why I’m an artist today. My earliest memories of
her were watching her paint wonderful works of art that I aspired to create myself
some day. In my childhood home, there were also many, many collections of historical
art and picture books that I would often flip through. They contained all the classic and
painting masters – Monet, Degas, Hopper, Sargent, and so many more. I hold these
historical painters in high regard and remain inspired by them, but they serve more as a backdrop to my development. Over the years, I’ve been following so many
contemporary artists whose work inspires me very much. But with all the painters we
know of and admire, my mother’s creative spirit is still the never-ending inspiration for
my work.

What does art mean to you?
In a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming, art has been my form of therapy. It
helps me handle my own difficult and emotional struggles with depression and anxiety. Art allows me to express feelings visually when it’s harder to put into words. It
gives voice to feelings that seem impossible to describe otherwise.

Do you have any hobbies outside of art?
I’m actually quite the foodie, though I know that label can be divisive. I enjoy trying and
documenting all sorts of different cuisines and exploring new restaurants. I live in NYC,
a diverse culinary hub, so I can’t help but love the food. I also consider food to be very
much like art. It can be creative and sensory. The experience of trying different foods is
very much a gateway to learning about other cultures as well.

I’ll also mention that I love video games! I’m a big gamer when I can afford the time to
play, which hasn’t been the case lately. However, I still watch streamers and
experience the games through them. I appreciate the narrative and art of videogames
too.

What is a small bit of advice you could give new artists starting in the industry?
Never stop making. Especially in such a digital era, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed
and lose sight of why we create in the first place. There is this pressure we put on
ourselves to gain followers and likes in order to feel validation. Keep building, keep
creating, and don’t let the noise stop you from creating what is true and authentic to
your heart.

What projects do you have coming up?
I’ve been fortunately very busy with shows, and I’m incredibly grateful for these
opportunities. I have some exhibitions and collaborations lined up for the near and
distant future with galleries I’ve worked with in the past and galleries new to me. For
the summer, I have three concurrent group shows, two of which will be with Poetic
Tiger Gallery and an all-female exhibition with All Star Press Chicago. For the fall, I’m
participating in a group show with Nanny Goat Gallery in California. I also have a first
digital painters exhibition with Poetic Tiger Gallery in collaboration with Modern
Digital Collective. To give some background, Modern Digital Collective, founded by
artist Ellie Nesbitt (FAYBEL), promotes the value and prevalence of digital painting in
galleries and fine art. This is an exciting venture given the lack of representation for
digital artists in galleries and the fine arts field in general. For the winter, I will be
exhibiting work in collaboration with AFPA Gallery at Art Basel Miami. I’m very excited as this will be my first time exhibiting at Art Basel. It’s been a very busy year, but I love every moment of it.