SARA CONKLIN
Born in Waterbury CT
Lives in New York
Sara Conklin’s paintings and works on paper explore many aspects of the human condition. Drawing from nature, landscapes and abandoned or secluded areas, Conklin incorporates both the vivacity and the loneliness found in nature and how it is reflected onto the body and mind of human kind. Focusing on vulnerability, personal growth and hidden stories, Conklin’s work often reveals a part of ourselves that we try to conceal or protect. Conklin masterfully combines the serene and the painful through her unique artistic conception and reveals the ordinary experience of life.
BIOGRAPHY
Exhibitions:
2011 Ceres Members Show, New York NY
Montclair Artist Studio, Newark, NJ
"Women's Nature, Ceres Gallery, New York NY
"Small Wonders" Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD
2010
"Printworks' 10" Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
"Notion of Perfection" Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
"Face to Face" CCCA, Hudson, New York
"Women About Women" Blue Door Gallery, Yonkers, New York
"Black & White Show" Columbia County Council of Arts, Hudson, NY
"Associate Members Show" N.A.W.A Gallery, New York NY
"New Members Show", Mamaroneck Artist Guild, Larchmont, NY
2009
"PAINT!" Climate Gallery, Long Island City, NY
"Tree Tops" Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Ridgefield CT
"Works on Paper" The Long Island Museum of American Art, Stony
Brook, NY
"Recent Paintings Solo Show", Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Ridgefield CT
CONNcentrics, Artspace, New Haven CT
"The Elements of the Landscape" Columbia County Council of the Arts,
Hudson NY
"5th Annual Small Works" Mamaroneck Artist Guild, Larchmont, NY
"The Sketch Book Project" Art House Co-op, Atlanta, GA
"Magic of Monhegan" Plein Air, Flat Iron Gallery Peekskill, NY
"Bedlam at the Guild", Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Ridgefield, CT
"The Perfect Ten", Catskill Artist Gallery, Catskill, NY
2008
“Small Works,” The Artery, Millford, PA
Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY
“CONNcentric,” Artspace, New Haven, CT
Dane Gallery, Indian Orchard Mills, Indian Orchard, MA
“Rage Against The..” Micro Museum, Brooklyn, NY
“National Small Works,” N.A.W.A. Gallery, New York, NY
“Seven Deadly Sins,” Wired Gallery, Bethlehem, PA
Lattimore Atelier Studio, Cornwall Gallery, Cornwall, NY
“Show 4 A Show,” Artwell Gallery, Torrington, CT
2007
“9th Annual Painting, Drawing, Photography & Print Juried Online
International Exhibition,” Upstream People Gallery, Omaha, NE
“Tragedy and Transformation,” Lana Santorelli Gallery,
Southampton, NY
“Healing Power of Art,” Online Exhibition, Manhattan Arts,
New York, NY
“Paintings and Mixed Media,” Broome Street Gallery, New York, NY
“Feminine Mystique,” Gallery 137, Indian Orchard, MA
1978
Women in Art Show, Northampton, MA
1975
Springfield College, Springfield, MA
Publications:
Tolt News, 10th Aniversary Issue, Cover April 2009
NY Arts Magazine, “Tips & Picks,” March/April 2008
Catskill Mountain Region Guide, “Artist Feature,” page 27,
December 2007
Catskill Mountain Region Guide, “Artist Feature,” page 48,
November 2007
Tolt News, “Icelandic Art,” pages 22-23, Summer 2007
Education:
Currently studying under Andrew Lattimore, Cornwall, NY
Art Students League, New York, NY, 2006
Banff Centre of the Arts, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 1979
Smith College Continuing Education, Northampton, MA, 1979
Springfield College, BS Art, Springfield, MA, 1975
STATEMENTS OF WORK
Lost and Forgotten Series
In Sara Conklin's "Lost and Forgotten Series" Conklin is searching for the source of isolation she sometimes feels from herself, from others, and in society. She uses Iceland and the sheep as the symbol to explore and unwind those feelings of unrest, of being uneasy with the space, but also to play with the humor and how your perspective defines a situation is viewed. What is your position, literally and figuratively, when you look at something? Be it a landscape or a personal situation: Are you above it, below it, from the side of it, looking down at it? All of these perspectives effects how you read a situation and define your reality.
Abandoned Farm Series
Sara Conklin’s “Abandoned Farm Series” paintings explores the ideas of loneliness, secrecy and compassion. Conklin portrays the stories of people’s lives by depicting the homes they have left behind.
Conklin draws her inspiration from an abandoned farmhouse located near a busy highway in New York State that she has observed for over 15 years. The house, although composed of inanimate parts, has an intense, vibrant story. It contains within its fading façade the vivacity of the people who lived there in the past as well as reflects the changing landscape of rural New York, from farm country to subdivisions and strip malls.
The abandoned house, now sad and lonely, resonates with a long history of life to share. Curiosity forces Conklin to wonder who lived there, what kind of lives they led and why this home has been abandoned. The house appears vulnerable, yearning for human protection. Through Conklin’s paintings and original prints, she has begun to preserve its existence and articulate the feelings invoked by experiencing the house. The house contains secrets, loss, sadness, joy, and other emotions that bind people together, strangers and families alike. Just like the body is the vessel for the soul, the house is a vessel for the lives within.
Icelandic Landscapes
Sara Conklin’s landscape series was inspired by photographs she took while traveling in Iceland. The invigorating energy and brilliant light from the Icelandic sun enabled Conklin to envision idyllic landscapes encompassing the beauty of the environment in all its grandeur. After years of focusing primarily on drawing and sculpture, she began experimenting with oils, in hopes of capturing the purity of the land and the brilliance of its natural colors and radiating lights. The unspoken raw energy of the landscape captured within Conklin’s paintings represents the charmingly simple and serene countryside found in any part of the world. Conklin’s landscape series celebrate the beauty of any idyllic landscape within man’s reach or the vast spaces of his imagination.
Broken Neck Series
Sara Conklin’s paintings and her works on paper examine the universal emotions related to human suffering.
Conklin’s work reveals her personal and artistic growth following the trauma of a broken neck and extensive therapy after a horseback riding accident. Revealing the initial pain, anger, shame and vulnerability she felt, these works ultimately reflect a processed understanding of her painful emotions.
Many of her works on paper include the actual X-rays of her spine and images of the hardware holding her neck together, allowing Conklin to incorporate her own pain within the large, emotional spectrum of human suffering. These pieces synthesize pain and healing, as Conklin realized the gift she was given was a reawakening of her creative process and artistic voice.
Conklin’s works on paper explore the vast spaces of the human psyche revealing an immense understanding of the universality of pain. They are an innovative and masterful demonstration of physical and mental affliction.
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