Meet Sarah Cowan White

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Cowan White.

Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been working on my craft from a very young age, I was always filling the walls of my parent’s house with drawings. After graduating from the Dekalb School of the Arts, I went on to pursue a BFA in Art Education at the University of Georgia. I am very fortunate to have a family that is incredibly supportive of my artistic goals, even when that means transporting a six by 8-foot canvas in the back of a truck from Athens to Atlanta. (Thanks, dad!)

Currently, I live in Athens with my husband. I teach high school art by day and pursue my art whenever I find other pockets of time. I began formally selling my work online in 2017, and am thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had to showcase my work since then in group shows, at galleries and in the homes of people who have graciously chosen to purchase my work.

My artistic background is in portraiture, but in college, I burned out on charcoal portraits and began oil painting. In my first series of oil paintings, I subconsciously created three paintings of interior spaces that were heavily reminiscent of my childhood home. This leads me to my current interest in examining universal and specific characteristics of domestic spaces, and the ways that memory and nostalgia inhabit the places that we leave behind. My interest in conceptual art also informs the ways that my pieces often focus on what isn’t present in an image as much as what is included.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My biggest challenge has simply been working while also having a full-time job. Even though it minimizes some of my availability, I love teaching because it allows me to be continually reflective of my own process. How can I give up when things are challenging when I am daily telling my students to persist and try again? Finding consistent studio hours and not comparing myself to full-time artists on social media has been a struggle as well. Social media is a powerful tool for connection, but it can easily convince you that you aren’t doing enough.

This past fall was a difficult time personally and creatively, I was really struggling to find my rhythm, and that’s when I decided for fun to create my first continuous line portraits. They were just images of my husband and myself to hang in our house, but they really opened the door to remembering what I love about creating in the first place. I’m looking forward to rolling more of those out in 2019.

Sarah Cowan White Art – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a fine artist in Athens and I create works on canvas, paper, and panel. My paintings focus on interior spaces, and I often create vignettes that might be easily overlooked. I love adding texture to my pieces through brushwork and subject matter.

The thing I get most excited about is when a person has a genuine reaction and connection to my work. Statements like, “The house I lived in while in college looked just like that!” or “This sofa reminds me of my grandmother’s,” are truly meaningful to me. I feel strongly that our experiences, while unique are often much more universal than we realize. I’m proud when I help people to engage with their own personal narrative through my pieces.

In my portraits I work on capturing more than just a likeness, the abstract nature of these pieces lets me take into account the character of the sitter as a whole. I love to choose what to emphasize about the person in my portrayal of them. I think of them as a modern version of silhouettes, as something that people will hang in their homes for a long time. I’m looking forward to expanding my portrait offerings later this year.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
One of my core motivators as an artist is creating meaningful art that resonates with people. So success, then, is a viewer connecting with my work on a level above aesthetic appreciation.

Pieces that I can invest myself in are the most rewarding kinds of projects to me, whether that takes the form of a commissioned portrait or an original collection. I’ve already gotten to create some really special projects, and I’m looking forward to the things I’ll create in the future. As long as I’m creating pieces that are sincere, I consider myself successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahcowanwhite.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @scwhite.art

Image Credit:
Emma Rolader

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