Walking and Flying by Sarah Landrum, visual arts instructor at The Donoho School, will be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the Gadsden Museum. On First Friday, May 5th, a reception will be held for three exhibits: Walking and Flying: Paintings by Sarah Landrum, Southern Realism by Rachel Wakefield, and an annual FOCUS Photography competition.
“Walking and Flying”: Paintings by Sarah Landrum
About the work:
My work attempts to treat painting as a gradual, deliberative experience, both for myself and for the viewer. Most of the paintings begin as simple still lifes, based upon ordinary objects in my studio and home. Painting mute, inert forms within a shallow space enables me to pose and attempt to answer specific questions about painting.
I work slowly on several pieces simultaneously. The images change over time as the painting process is invaded by memories, history, current events, books I’m reading, or simply an overheard phrase. The original forms disintegrate and transform through the painting process; the image unfolds through scraping, cutting, peeling, editing, and repainting. As time passes, each painting responds to others around it in the studio. I often remove paintings from their support midway through the process. This enables me to further experiment with deconstructing and reconstructing images.
My intention and the impulse behind each painting may not be obvious to viewers. My hope is that a meaning can unfold as they experience line, shape, and form and that they can take some pleasure in deciphering the image through the lense of their own experience.
“Walking and Flying”:
Solving a problem or having an idea while performing a recurring task or doing something mundane is a common experience for most of us. Much of the mental “work” of a painting occurs during repetitive mark-making and through stitching, scraping, and stapling. Repetitive actions such as walking, breathing, certain tasks, and indeed much of the “boring” work of ordinary life, can free our minds and lead to flights of imagination.
Bio:
Sarah Landrum lives and works in Jacksonville, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia. Since receiving her BFA in Painting from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) in 1984, she has maintained her studio practice and exhibited consistently throughout the Southeast. As an arts educator working in communities and schools, she views teaching as a vital and inseparable part of her creative work. She has been the visual arts teacher at The Donoho School in Anniston, Alabama since 2005.
Contact: landrumsarah@gmail.com, www.sarahlandrum.com
Instagram: gratia_artis
