Sarah Fox

The daughter of an artist, I was raised to see art as an essential part of life. Our home was full of visual stimulation; painting, ceramics and sculpture were always there to spark my imagination. Weekends were made up of art projects and museum visits. From an early age, I knew that I wanted to follow in my mother’s footsteps and create. My mixed-media shadow boxes are a combination of my varied artistic experiences and interests. I focused on the human figure through traditional oil painting and drawing in my undergraduate degree. The human body always intrigued me because of its natural beauty and its intrinsic ability to move the viewer. For me, painting flowers and other plant life is just an extension of the beauty found within both nature and organic forms. Wanting to explore new and diverse mediums, I began experimenting with fabrics and wood. It was only a matter of time before I developed these new techniques and incorporated them into my art. I start my process with whatever inspires me – anything from a pose, historical and religious figures or even color. After completing a detailed drawing, I transfer the image onto wood. Using a scroll-saw, I cut intricate layers that will compose each shadow-box. Silks, cotton, batiks and other fabrics are stretched over cute panels to form the background. Drawing on my experience in traditional figurative painting, I meticulously render the main subject in oil paint. I then layer and float everything in a handmade shadow-box and add details like buttons or shells.In a world of color, light, texture and movement, you may find something new and intriguing every time you look. For me, making art is about drawing on all your experiences as a person and putting them into visual form. It is about taking all the joy I feel while creating and trying to transfer some of that to the viewer.