Aquiesence
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Big Top
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Chimera
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Ocular
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Seated Woman
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Sonic Boom
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Transfigure
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West Coast Sands
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Aquafir
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Aquafir 2
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Bubble Gum
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Peach
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Green Tea 1
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Green Tea 2
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Green Tea 3
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Mint Julip
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Retro 1
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Retro 2
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Retro 3
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Sun Shine
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Sun Tune
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White One
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Sage I
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Sage II
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Downcast
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Bio
Sara McIntosh-Robichaud completed her Masters of Fine Arts degree at the University of Victoria in 2009 after recieving her BFA at Queen's University. She currently teaches and paints in Victoria, BC.
Sara’s artistic practice is rooted in abstract expressionism and involves process based ways of working. Her paintings engage the viewer in a visual inquiry between the atmospheric and lyrical qualities of the form and the hard physicality of their material.
Sara is represented in Calgary at Axis Contemporary Art and in Santa Monica, California at the Ruth Bachofner Gallery. Her work has been exhibited at international art fairs in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles.
Artist Statement - "Apparition of the Arenic"
"In my current painting practice I am starting with reclaimed under-paintings of gesture and transparency that are later readdressed through the insertion of geometry. The resulting form has a kind of discord between picture plane and pictorial space or figure/ground ambiguities that tease out imaginative associations in the viewer. My intention is to initiate a questioning of aesthetic beauty through the construction of opposites causing the observer to be perversely attracted to discordant elements because of their phenomenological pull.
Anthropomorphic/figural intonations have crept back into my work since I saw two Cirque de Soleil performances and started doing 90 minutes of hot yoga almost every day. At the circus I was in awe and after the intense visual stimulation and dynamic acrobatics I was left considering the performative parallels in my practice. There is an inherent choreography to the spontaneous pouring, scraping and layering of paint, in particular when I use a contraption to wheel overtop. Historically, Jackson Pollock worked through time in a sequence where the rhythmic pulsations of his dripping became so familiar that the erratic became controlled. In this light, the circus suspends the viewer’s perception and creates a seamless procession of events but takes hours/years of practice to produce this illusion. In my painting the impulsive yet constrained nature of gestural movements combined with the precision of the taped interjections illustrates this performative specificity."
What is your artwork about (underlying concept, focus, themes, intent, etc)?
My artwork is about freedom & constraint, imagination & peace of mind.
What informs your artwork, or what are your influences?
My influences are Rothko, Frankenthaler, Pollock, Louis, Drappell and contemporary local abstract painters. Daily life from the mundane to the extraordinary informs my work.
What mediums, techniques, or processes are involved in your art making (and why these)?
I have developed a process based painting method that involves working on the floor by pouring and often scraping paint. In order to work even larger my husband and I have created a rolling platform that wheels me along as I pour and drag shapes with my giant custom made tools. Each process is informed by the last and leads to the next. I enjoy working spontaneously and am thrilled by the unexpected results and elegant formations.
What are your other passions in life and how have these influenced your work?
I am passionate about nature, being physical, cooking good food, and being close to family and friends. I get ideas especially when I’m cooking….like when I pour pancake mix into the pan or blend fruit into a smoothie. I am constantly aware of colours, forms and phenomina existing naturally around me. …bubbles, swirls of gasoline, asphalt patch jobs, sky scapes…. My spiritual evolution is infused into each piece….the ebb and flow of daily life and the insights that come from being curious and willing to grow.
Why are you an artist?
I am an artist because I am inspired to experience the unknown. I am uncomfortable when I get to a place with in my painting practice that is unfamiliar. There is a pull to do something to it that will feel safe and predictable. It is this moment of uncertainty, fear, and visual challenge that calls me to be an artist. And the thrill of creation is the reward.
What matters to you most about the work that you do?
That people are touched and opened by my work.
Do you feel you need to position your work within the context of art history and if so what’s your take on that?
My work is rooted in the history of the abstract expressionists, automatists, impressionists. In contrast to postmodernist and current conceptual trends my work is experiential and material.
Is there a trigger or a starting point for each piece?
I start by sweeping the floor and listening to the tinkling of staples along the ground. This brings me out of my head and into my body and the present moment. Then I paint.
How has your work evolved over the last five years?
Five years ago I was working with mentor Bill Porteous and my paintings were more derivative of his. I scraped geometric forms and used a primary palette. Then, for three years I worked more independently and developed a process of pouring abstractions on a large scale with my rolling contraption. In 2006 I married and soon found my process becoming more personal with the palette shifting to earthy, soft tones. After painting so many layers of high chroma hues I saw that I sometimes used the layering to cover and make the paintings enough…often times hiding the initial gestures that I found so moving. I then found the courage to let my visions be seen and exhibited the more minimalist works. Now I am back in school doing my masters degree and open to entering an unknown direction in my practice.
What is the current central motivation for or conceptual concern in your work?
The current central motivation in my work is to make beautiful uplifting pieces which exude freedom while balancing a delicate visual tension. A conceptual concern that intrigues me is the difference between taste and aesthetic and discerning how I am influenced as I paint.
How does your physical/geographical environment inform the work you do?
Let’s just say I’m soaking in the geography/weather of the coastal seasons. Seriously though, I can’t help but choose ochres, umbers, and greens in the depth of winter and pinks, whites, yellows in summer. Yes, these are abstract paintings but I can’t help being referential no matter how purist I pretend to be. I feel the winds and tides and move accordingly as I paint so physically that I am out of breath.
Education
- 2009 Masters of Fine Arts - University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
- 1995 Bachelor of Fine Arts Honors - Queen's University, Kingston, ON
Representing Galleries
Solo Exhibitions
| 2009 |
"Apparition of the Arenic", MFA Thesis Exhibiti |
University of Victoria, BC |
| 2008 |
"Chromatic Dissonance", Jennifer Kostuik Gallery |
Vancouver, BC |
| 2007 |
"Visions of a West Coast Pour", Engine Gallery |
Toronto, ON |
| 2006 |
"Pouring Out", Canvas Lounge |
Vancouver, BC |
| 2006 |
"Radiant Elation" Sopa Fine Arts |
Kelowna, BC |
| 2006 |
"Spread Thin", Axis Contemporary Art |
Calgary, AB |
| 2006 |
"Suspended Elation", Gallery Gora |
Montreal, QC |
| 2004 |
New Works, Fran Willis Gallery |
Victoria, BC |
Group Exhibitions
| 2009 |
"White", Ruth Bachofner Gallery |
Santa Monica, CA |
| 2008 |
"make believe", PS1 East Van Studios, Swarm Artist Run Centre Crawl |
Vancouver, BC |
| 2008 |
"Four Abstract Painters", Ruth Bachofner Gallery |
Santa Monica, CA |
| 2008 |
"1984", MFA Candidate Group Exhibition |
University of Victoria |
| 2007 |
Reopening Exhibition, Jennifer Kostuik Gallery |
Vancouver, BC |
| 2007 |
Featured Artist, Jennifer Kostuik Gallery |
Vancouver, BC |
| 2007 |
Espace B51 |
Montreal, QC |
| 2007 |
Axis Contemporary Art |
Calgary, AB |
| 2007 |
Affordable Art Fair, Jennifer Kostuik Gallery |
New York, NY |
| 2006 |
"10th year Anniversary Celebration", Jennifer Kostuik Gallery |
Vancouver, BC |
| 2006 |
"Wrap it Up", Christmas Exhibition, Sopa Fine Arts |
Kelowna, BC |
| 2006 |
"Give the Gift of Art", Christmas Exhibition, Fran Willis Gallery |
Victoria, BC |
| 2006 |
Toronto International Art Exhibition, Engine Gallery |
Toronto, ON |
| 2006 |
"Conversations In Colour", Two Person Exhibition with Elly Mackey, Kennedy Arts Centre |
North Bay, ON |
| 2006 |
"U8", Sopa Fine Arts |
Kelowna, BC |
| 2005 |
"Give the Gift of Art", Christmas Exhibition, Fran Willis Gallery |
Victoria, BC |
| 2005 |
Axis, Opening Show |
Calgary, AB |
| 2004 |
"The Gift of Art", Christmas Exhibition, Fran Willis Gallery |
Victoria, BC |
| 2004 |
Summer Show, Fran Willis Gallery |
Victoria, BC |
| 2004 |
Moss Street Paint In, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria |
Victoria, BC |
Teaching
| 2008 |
Sessional MFA Instructor, University of Victoria |
| 2008 |
Instructor at the Vancouver Island School of Art |
| 2007-09 |
Golden Acrylic Colours "Working Artist" for Vancouver, Lower Mainland & Vancouver Island |
| 2003-2007 |
Instructor at the Surrey Art Gallery, designing and teaching programs in abstract painting |
Awards & Grants
| 2005 |
BC Arts Council, Project AssistanceGrant |
| 1993 |
First Prize, Queen's University Arts Festival |
Media & Publications
| 2007 |
Magnum Opus Magazine, Feature Article, Vancouver, BC |
| 2006 |
Canadian Art Magazine, Fall Issue, Advertisement for Gallery Gora |
| 2006 |
Publication & Essay by Kennedy Arts Centre for Exhibition "Conversations in Colour" |
| 2004 |
The New VI, Television Interview for solo show at Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria, BC |
| 2004 |
Galleries West Magazine, Advertisement for solo show at Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria, BC |
Public Collections
| Arriva Condominiums by Torode |
Presentation Gallery, Calgary, AB |
| Millner Thompson LLB |
Calgary, AB |
| Brentwood Bay Resort |
BC |
Private Collections
Extensive Private Collections |