i am an artist living and working in vancouver, bc. i work with paper, acrylics, and archival ink to make abstractions that are kaleidoscopic, harmonious, and pensive.
my style is hybridist, borrowing from op, minimalism, russian constructivism, color field, and de stijl, among others. like the hard edged painters of the 1960s reacting to the expressionists, i am concerned with regularity and symmetry. geometrical and optical art is often concerned with issues of transcendental idealism, and i’m certainly working within this modernist tradition. but i’m also influenced by psychedelia, the high-color cut-outs and black-light posters of the hippie generation.
rather than transmit intention through brushstroke or building shape and form on canvas, meaning is conveyed through structure, by moving pieces around until the right note is struck. it’s a fast, intuitive way to work. i use high-grade construction paper, and also use acrylics and oils to achieve a greater intensity of colour and translucence. i also work with architectural vellum, an opaque cotton-based paper that gives a sense of depth and transparency.
most compositions are repeated geometric shapes, and because there is something hypnotic about repetition, perhaps the images will invoke a sort of theta wave response in the viewer. there is no agenda, no lesson, no path to anywhere. rather i hope to capture a sense of harmony and stillness, the sense that everything is in its exact right place.
follow me on twitter @sarahgeeart
solo exhibition at deluge contemporary art in victoria, b.c.
i’m thrilled to be showing at deluge contemporary in victoria. the show will be starting on july 13 and running until august 11, at 636 yates street victoria, bc. i’ll be featuring new target images and selections from the “strata” series, among many others. please come by this gorgeous heritage building and check out the show.
there is a facebooks events page you’re welcome to peruse for photos and news.
new interview
my friend – and fabulous collage artist in her own right – rachael ashe has interviewed me for her blog “canvas to the imagination“. it’s worth checking out if only to see rachael’s own intricate cut-out work.
monument(al)
vancouver artists aaron moran and jessica bell will join me in a group art exhibition november 5-12, 2011 at east van studios (870 east cordova street, vancouver bc).
the show will feature new work from all of us, including innovative wood constructions by aaron and radical work in fiber by jessica. all of us have been thinking a lot about monuments, how they work in public consciousness, whether the ephemeral can become immutable, and what it means when a commemorative object becomes diluted and more mysterious over time. big ideas, beautiful art!
see our tumblr blog for previews and excerpts, plus an essay by our curator, the inimitable denise liu from artsy dartsy, vancouver’s essential art and design guide.
jessica bell has a wonderful online gallery, and aaron moran is writing about his remarkable year in rural residency.
culture days
i am happy to be a part of culture days, a nation-wide 3-day celebration of the arts. i will be showing work at “connecting the dots” at gallery five sixty on seymour street in downtown vancouver. “connecting the dots” seeks to engage vancouver artists in a dialogue about the relation between the arts and the community in which it thrives.
the work they are showing is a favourite of mine, “last night i dreamed of him again”. i’m very proud to be in the company of so many fascinating artists.
there will be a special closing reception on october 2, 2011, at 560 seymour street from 7-10 pm. it should be a grand time.
see the blog for updates, information, and great profiles of all the artists.
submit vancouver
this thursday evening there will be an auction of artist-designed t-shirts to raise money for educational projects for children in ethiopia. included is a design of mine. please come down to performance works on granville island and bid for any one of these amazing shirts! details are here: http://www.submitvancouver.com/
trench gallery
this summer my work is up at trench gallery at 148 alexander street in vancouver’s historic gastown neighbourhood. i’m thrilled to be in the company of many artists who profoundly influenced my work, among them gary lee nova, roy kiyooka and brian fisher. if you’re in vancouver this summer, it’s well worth your time to spend an afternoon at this wonderful downtown gallery.