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Sara O'Connor Fine Art

ARTIST STATEMENT

The essence of why we respond to the extraordinary fascinates me. Why do we, as art aficionados and culture curators, revere pure creative expression? What compels us to harness free imagination and bring it to reality? What is it that makes us feel through sight or taste in colors? How are we able to understand certain things, seemingly without conscious thought?

 

My mantra is the dot, a single point of clarity, through which I channel my imagination. I ceaselessly return to this point of focus until I have reached a calm, yet inviting, mindfulness. The cornerstone of my creative process is an incessant question: why does it feel so delicious when we scratch that eternal itch of curiosity?

Many people are too afraid to fly, and c

I intentionally tap into my childlike wonderment, because I have a nostalgic yearning for this innocence. I want us all to reacquaint ourselves with this coveted feeling. I believe that everyone innately possesses this purity of mind, but we oftentimes ignore or repress it as the rigors of reality bear down on us.  Remove those mental constraints and return to a world that increases feelings of joy and contentment.

Come, indulge yourself.

My approach to painting is alchemic. The thick application of paint rejects limitation and invites the admirer to feel its full-bodied color. The resulting works emphasize geometric form, while distorting uniformity of size and shape for expressive effect. Heavy-textured pointillism breaks the familiar mold of contemporary pointillism.

Wrap yourself in the comfort and beauty of my world. You are always welcome here.

Happy Monday from me to you. __photo tak

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Sara O’Connor is a nontraditional artist. Born in 1986 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sara quickly grew accustomed to embracing new experiences when she was young following her parents’ divorce, which required her to travel often. Her adventures taught her independence, the critical importance and pleasure of reading, and how to pursue a well-lived life.

She is further inspired by her grandparents’ tenacity, perseverance, and drive, values which she infuses in her work. As a young Jewish woman, her works are heavily influenced by her maternal grandmother's and Pap-pap’s survival of concentration camps during World War II, Stutthof and Auschwitz, respectively. She is further inspired by her paternal grandmother, who performed as a stage and radio singer before writing, producing, and serving as the on-air personality with the radio and television program “Jamboree” and grandfather, who served in the government for over 45 years in the State Department and HUD. Their lives demonstrate the sheer beauty of unwavering perseverance, which O’Connor encapsulates in her work and methodology.

Invested in critical reasoning and intellectual discovery, O’Connor practiced law for several years at an international law firm before professionally unleashing her obsessive artistry. Her former life as an attorney reaffirmed her passion for nuanced detail and a drive to create work that makes a distinct and lasting impact.

O’Connor’s work boldly modernizes classical pointillism through her innovative use of want-to-touch and want-to-taste texture. Nearly every piece she creates embodies a moment of self-reflection, an abstract portrait of her emotional state when creating, which is why she and collectors lovingly refer to these pieces in the feminine “She.”

Bold, yet inviting. Relatable, yet mysterious. O’Connor intentionally creates work to foster creative thought that simultaneously soothes the mind.

Her travels abroad to Thailand, Israel, Italy, Canada, and Mexico heavily influence her use and expression of color. O’Connor currently lives in Richmond, Virginia, where her studio is located, and travels to exhibit her work across the nation and, soon, the world. When O'Connor is not creating art, her creative pursuits include co-hosting and producing Bohemian Geek Studies, a podcast devoted to providing detailed dorky dives into children's literature.

Corporate art collectors include PNC Bank (two works for their Pittsburgh, PA headquarters), Credit Union National Association, and Lawrenceville Vision Care. O'Connor's work is also featured in private art collections across the United States and abroad.

Fire inspired_Ocean inspired_Marilyn Mon

ARTISTIC PROCESS

I am obsessed with color and texture, stemming from my love of playing with Perler beads as a young girl and dabbling in ceramics and stained glass as a teenager. I desired to combine my favorite qualities of these mediums, which led to my creation of a secret formula and the birth of a new technique: heavy-textured pointillism.

 

I feel a bit like Willy Wonka in my workshop, only my wonderland is filled with color instead of candy. My studio is filled with over 650 distinct colors, and preparing the materials to create a piece can take nearly the same amount of time to do as actually creating the artwork.

With extreme precision and care, I apply thousands of dots to create flowing movement of color. Every dot, from the intricately small to the charmingly large, is pivotal to the overall impact of each piece. While I generally have an overarching color palette and design in mind before I begin painting, I allow each piece to evolve and influence me during the creative process.

It is my supreme desire to stimulate more senses than the average artist. As such, I create work that collectors and fans want to touch and taste (because of the texture) as well as view (because of the color and imagery). Moreover, the inclusion of a multitude of dot sizes allows onlookers to enjoy unique viewing experiences, whether my work is admired up-close or farther away.

IN THE NEWS

Print and Online Media

  • Leslie Pardo, "Ann Arbor Art Fair Featured Artist Sara O’Connor," Washtenaw Jewish News, June/July/August 2019 (view here)

  • Featured Artist Spotlight, https://www.washtenawjewishnews.org/PDFs/WJN-JJA-19-web.pdf

  • Christine Simmons, “Another Way to Cope as a Lawyer? Paintbrushes and Sketchpads,” The American Lawyer, Nov. 9, 2018.

  • Case Study, “Case Study: Sara O’Connor, Heavy-Texture Pointillism,” The Abundant Artist, Sept. 2018 (view here)

  • Young Alumni Profile, “Young Alumni Profile: Sara O’Connor, L’12,” The Duquesne Lawyer, Fall/Winter 2017, 21 (view here)

  • Adam Reinherz, “Local lawyer recasts herself as artist,” Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, May 2017 (view here)

  • Enzo Knight, “Artist Profile: Sara O’Connor,” Localpittsburgh, No. 4, 12-13, 16, Summer 2017 (view here)

Television

  • Larry Spruill, Interview, Local 4, Detroit, MI, July 22, 2018 (view here)

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