The Middle Place Print

Sara Roberts is a contemporary painter known for her unique approach to capturing the essence of thoughts, emotions, and responses to the world on canvas. Her artistic style is characterized by its ability to reflect the passage of time through deliberate mark-making and intricate craftsmanship, resulting in a visual representation of the artist's interaction with the world around her. While she doesn't approach her subject matter in the same way as a photograph does, she creates a unique artistic expression that goes beyond mere representation. Roberts' work serves as a visual record of her experience as a Being-in-the-world, revealing her attempts to understand and make sense of the space she inhabits. The concept of time plays a significant role in Roberts' artistic approach. She demonstrates the passage of time through deliberate mark-making and meticulous craftsmanship. This personal engagement with her environment is reflected in her work, which often involves layers of paint, building up over time. This layering process, including techniques like painting, sanding back, and repainting, creates a textured surface where the scars and traces of previous layers remain visible. By embracing the materiality of paint and intentionally revealing the process, she invites viewers to engage with the artwork not only on a visual level but also on a tactile and conceptual one. In summary, Sara Roberts is renowned for her contemporary approach to painting, utilizing oil on linen and drawing inspiration from old master techniques. Her paintings go beyond visual representation to capture her thoughts, emotions, and interactions with the world, while her unique layering process and attention to the materiality of paint create artworks that are both visually and conceptually engaging.