THE ART OF abstract landscapes

A self-taught artist, Sarah (last name pronounced "KROYTS") has painted with oils for over 25 years.

While living and working in Paris in her 20s, Sarah spent her free time visiting art museums marveling at the technique of artists like Pissarro, Monet and Whistler. 

"For as long as I can remember I have loved art — but seeing and experiencing the masters in person changed my life and how I perceived the art itself. I came to understand how color, contrasts and composition are used to express the artist's emotions and innermost thoughts.” 

In creating her abstract landscapes and other subject matters, she employs a complex process of layering oils painted mainly on wood panels and the occasional canvas. Over time, the color palette is applied in different thicknesses and glazing layers with drying in-between each layer. Once the various layers have cured, Sarah sands down the image, reworks it by building up new layers, then repeats the process, possibly many times, over the course of weeks and even months. 

This time intensive process reveals the random but also purposeful history of the multiple layers - an artistic metaphor that reflects our emotions and lives. Through this burnishing process, each layer, flaw and repair comes to the surface, adding beauty and texture to each piece. Ultimately the foundational layers of the painting are as significant as the top layers. Only by revealing all of the layers do you arrive at the beauty of the final image.  

In the end, every layer matters.