| A self-described
“military brat” who grew up on military bases from Japan to England, Sara J.
Chambers has lived and studied all over the world and the United States. Her
artwork is influenced by the culture, sights and sounds of foreign places and
various states. Although she began as a watercolor artist, she found her true
artistic breakthrough when she watched a non-traditional master artist paint in
pastels. She says, "The direct application of glorious, saturated color in
an unstudied manner is what really turns me on about pastels. I found I really
knew what I was doing in pastels!"
Sara and her
husband Joe began Mountain Majesty Art Workshops in 1995. For five years, they hosted nationally-known
art instructors for one-week art workshops all summer and in the fall in
Cloudcroft, New Mexico. For another five
years they continued hosting eight-day Master Classes with artist William A.
(Bill) Herring and led two international artist trips—one to St. Petersburg,
Russia and the other to Vienna, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic. After ten years in the art school business,
Sara decided to let someone else do the hosting so that she could paint
full-time.
Currently Sara paints in oils, pastels, and water media
in her fabulous 900 square foot studio near High Rolls, New Mexico. Passionate about color,
line and texture, she uses the different mediums to explore these elements in
horses, other animals, landscapes, flowers, gardens, and figures. She
especially loves the juxtaposition of pure color possible in pastel painting.
Her pastel paintings are direct, textural applications of color with a strong
expressionist tendency, resulting in a sort of "magical realism.
Sara’s unique approach with oil
stick and palette knife emphasizes her love of texture and color, as well. She works swiftly and directly in an alla
prima manner throughout the creation of her bold, almost wild, landscapes,
often with gallery-wrapped painted edges that add a sculptural dimension to the
paintings. The result is an expression
of the joy that she feels at being allowed to create paintings that carry the
ordinary into extra-ordinary.
A frequent contributor to
charitable fundraisers, such as Casa Esperanza Cancer Retreat in Albuquerque,
First National Bank’s Enchanted Fine Art Benefit, and Habitat for Humanity in
Otero County, Sara loves giving back to the world through her art. She created three Hope Chests for the Casa
Esperanza auction in the past several years, plus two original paintings.
The artist has traveled to
China, Russia, San Francisco, Vienna, Prague, New York City, Washington, DC, Thailand
and Bangladesh to study. She teaches art
seminars on composition and painting and also judges art exhibitions. Sara exhibits in national and international
art shows, including the Salmugundi Club Nonmembers Show in New York City and a
solo exhibit at the Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Texas. Her most
recent national exhibit was in December 2010 in New York City at Amsterdam
Whitney Gallery.
Four of Sara’s pastel paintings have been selected to be published in Best of Worldwide Charcoal, Pastel, & Pencil Artists, Volume II. Other publications include American Art Collector; Pastel Artist
International; Western Art Collector; GuestLife New Mexico 2005; and Romantic Homes Magazine. Sara has been honored with awards in national
and international exhibits, including the Arts International in El Paso; the
Pastel Society of Oregon National Show; the Sierra Pastel Society International
Exhibition; and Pastel Society of New Mexico National Shows. She is a signature member of the Pastel
Society of New Mexico and an elected member of the Degas Pastel Society. Her paintings are seen in private and corporate collections and represented in Artists' Haven Gallery, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; High Country Arts and Antiques, Blue Ridge, GA; and Sacramento Mountain Weavers, Cloudcroft, NM.
Blog: Life in Technicolor
GALLERIES:
Blue Ridge, Georgia: High Country Art
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Artists' Haven Gallery
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sacramento Mountain Weavers
Sara J. Chambers
P.O. Box 487
High Rolls, NM 88325
575-430-6148
sarajchambers@yahoo.com
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