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Sabrina Stiles
Snow
Pastel on Paper | 24 x 36 inches
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Works & Insight
Sabrina Stiles
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"Scenes like A Break in the Clouds tug at me to paint them. It's late afternoon when the clouds roll over the mesas, and everything is washed in shades of dark blue and grey. Then, the sun peeks out, bathing a sliver of the landscape in radiant light. That bit of the land literally glows against the darkened grey-blue backdrop. I find it incredibly awe-inspiring. I can't help myself – trying to capture that light effect in my work."
– Sabrina Stiles
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"This single, simple-shaped subject is like painting a portrait without features. How do you make that work? Yes, I love that, here in Colorado, we have this bit of brilliance against a snow-white and -greyed winter backdrop, so why not challenge myself? It gains strength as a painting, holding a viewer’s gaze, through the mark making and subtle color shifts used to create glow and a bit of drama."
– Sabrina Stiles
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"Soft Canyon Light was fun and effortless, which is a joy when it happens. It started with the design and the movement. I applied a thin watercolor underpainting and topped it with soft fluid mark making which captures the feeling of the hazy impending weather rolling through the canyon."
– Sabrina Stiles
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"The Evening Meal is all about the story. It is a time of day I revisit often in my work for the feeling of serenity and peace that the evening light evokes."
– Sabrina Stiles
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"Southwest Mirage is an example of work I am currently expanding on. It is all about creating something beautiful from a simplified landscape or the feeling of the landscape. It's about the process and the materials as much as it is about the subject."
– Sabrina Stiles
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Sabrina Stiles
Q & A
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What inspires the dream-like quality of your work? What is your intention?
Wow, that's a good question. I hope I can answer it. I think everyone's work is in some way a reflection of who they are, what they are drawn to. For me, I am trying to create a piece of work that I could live with and look at for a long time. I like to create a sense of calm and beauty with my work.
What feeling do you hope your work evokes in a viewer?
No matter the subject, I hope the work brings them joy. It makes me happy when a landscape piece resonates with a collector, when they recognize something in the piece that touches them. Of course, with the fun cow paintings, I hope it makes them smile.
How did it feel to move to Colorado from Michigan, and how does that perspective inform your work?
I have always felt Colorado is where I belong. I am drawn to the wide-open spaces, the majesty of the mountains, canyons and, of course, the sunshine. That said, many of my paintings are an ode to my time growing up in Michigan surrounded by trees and water. Those elements tend to frequent many of my landscape paintings.
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