Sara Robichaud

Aquiesence + zoom	Big Top + zoom	Chimera + zoom	Ocular + zoom
Seated Woman + zoom	Sonic Boom + zoom	Transfigure + zoom	West Coast Sands + zoom
Aquafir + zoom	Aquafir 2 + zoom	Bubble Gum + zoom	Peach + zoom
Green Tea 1 + zoom	Green Tea 2 + zoom	Green Tea 3 + zoom	Mint Julip + zoom
Retro 1 + zoom	Retro 2 + zoom	Retro 3 + zoom	Sun Shine + zoom
Sun Tune + zoom	White One + zoom	Sage I + zoom	Sage II + zoom
Downcast + zoom

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

Group Exhibitions

Teaching

Awards & Grants

Media & Publications

Public Collections

Private Collections

Extensive Private Collections