Sara Alyn Oakley's Profile

Sara Alyn Oakley's Profile | Gallery

| http://www.saraoakley.com

Sara Alyn Oakley

Commencing in 1973, illustrator in all mediums & graphic designer
Eight time national award winner, studio principal.

1987, began showing and selling fine art in pastel, watercolor, oil & graphite

1993, added regular teaching schedule at community and junior colleges

1996, began teaching workshops locally, then over an increasingly wide area

2002 - Present, Artist in Residence at Western Colorado Center for the Arts,
engaged in 2-dimensional (drawing and painting) program development, teaching regular classes at the art center and an average of 8 privately organized workshops at other locations per year. Currently showing at galleries and juried
exhibitions in several states.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT:
As an artist, my work is about using vibrant color and bold lines to craft expressionistic images. That's it. No intellectual deep thoughts. An image inspires me and I paint it -- not as I see it, but as I want to see it. My paintings have more of a tendency to wake you up than to calm you down, still a tree is recognizably a tree and a duck is pretty much a duck. In wild color, maybe, but pretty much a duck. Mostly. As an instructor, I believe that I have a gift for teaching people that anyone can make beautiful art. I don't believe in talent. I think that the word "talent" is more often used to exclude people from the process of art (as in "She is so talented") -- or used as an excuse not to try (as in "I have no talent"). If you substitute a form of the word "courage," you will have a more accurate statement. It is not a question of whether you have enough talent, but of whether or not you have the courage to try and keep on trying. Even those rare individuals who seem to be born with the ability to draw, will not succeed without courage and ongoing work. My classes and workshops are fun, casual and very, very empowering.