Featured Artist for August 1999

Featured GiveAway by Sara Hatch The Tea Room 24" x 30" - 1997 Watercolor, Oil Pastel, & Acrylic on Illustration Board Valued at $650

Patricia Pitzer Hammond, LA

The Team Room was inspired by Sara's outlook on how women catch up on the latest news, network, exchange recipes, support each other's efforts and bond while having tea. Women also tend to enjoy a lovely setting and a relaxing environment surrounded by stained glass windows and plants.


MEET THE ARTIST

. Featured Artist Sara Hatch

Sara Hatch was born August 17, 1941, in Rushville, Illinois. Her father had an avid interest in photography and was an amateur moviemaker, her mother was a singer and choir director. Her sister is a watercolorist and Sara has two nieces who are commercial artists. It appears as if artistry runs rampant in the family.

Sara was delighted to use crayons as a child. Her spiritual beliefs are her most inspiring influence and The Baha'i Faith is a very positive influence in her art and life. She explains that "Baha'is believe that in the near future, world peace and reconciliation among the nations will transpire. That mankind will learn to appreciate diversity and that the world will be a much better place when money and resources that are used for war are used for the progress of mankind as a whole." Her faith has kept her sane, made her feel safe and secure in a rather frightening world, and has given her strength and courage to take on insurmountable tasks. It has also taken her through tremendous tests in her life and kept her family together, giving her children a steady direction in their lives. Needless to say, her faith truly inspires her to paint.

Sara holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois, a Master of Arts from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, a Teaching Certificate for art education from Western Illinois University and an Master of Fine Arts from the University of South Carolina.

Imagining an image before composing the painting, Sara begins with a blank sheet of paper and anticipates what will become an interesting and colorful result. She paints for herself as well as others' joy. She finds the act of sharing her work equally or even more fulfilling than making it. When Sara sees people smiling or laughing or identifying with her art, it is a great satisfaction. She feels that creating is a spiritual act and sees God or Allah or whatever "It" is called as the Great Creator. In some ways she sees artists, musicians, dancers, potters, jewelry makers, inventors, and scientists as reflections of a higher power at work. For her, work is worship and she finds it a challenge to use drawing, watercolor, oil pastel and acrylic all on the same paper. She's basically in love with color and the more saturated the better. For her, color moves the emotions and she finds that people respond to color in many different ways. Color is like chocolate and it is addicting to her. It is rich and satisfying. The composition and tying the borders of her work with the main theme is quite challenging.

Sara felt great intrigue from studying illuminated manuscripts of Persian writings, which led her to use borders from many different cultures. Her favorite borders are Southwestern, Victorian and Celtic. She tries to solve different compositional problems with each painting so that each is unique and suggests a somewhat puzzling space. The viewer might not be certain where figures are grounded; either in front of the borders, inside the composition, or somewhere in between. She sees life as a temporary place and believes that the spiritual world, or the next world and this one are interwoven and her images reflect this belief. She believes angels hover everywhere to help us, but we simply cannot see them with our naked eyes. She hopes that she can be a helpful angel to others in the next world.

	FLIGHT represents angels everywhere! Oh, the freedom and grace to fly! Celebrating the sheer ease of being freed from the entrapments of this earthly plane.
Flight, 16" x 20" 1998, Mixed Media on Illustration Board $350

Sara joined the Baha'i Faith in 1962 when she was 21 years old after having investigated its precepts for a year and a half. The longer involved with Baha'i the more she feels it is a way of life as well as a set of spiritual beliefs. After 36 years of practicing her faith, like most people on a spiritual path, she finds that it is never easy to practice what one preaches. The daunting task is to live her faith in her daily contacts with others. Her entire outlook on life and creative source are all oriented from her beliefs.

Sara enjoys movies, opera, and listening to all kinds of music from classical to new age. She likes watching PBS, Discovery, The Learning Channel, Biography, and A&E. Her friends mean a lot to her and she loves her children's company and having her family over for get-togethers.

ABOUT THE ARTIST


Sara has lived in four different countries and has taught art at three different colleges in the world. She finds it fascinating to have friends from the Philippines, Korea and Okinawa and has learned a great deal about each culture. And not only the culture, she made a deliberate attempt to get to know the people by having many social gatherings to help educate people by teaching them English. She's also had quite a few art exhibits overseas and enjoyed teaching art privately to many students. "It was a good way to meet people and cross the language barrier." And she also felt it was particularly good for her own children to live in different cultures so that they could learn tolerance and acceptance.

Versatility allows Sara to use Grumbacer watercolors, Sakura oil pastels, and Shiva acrylics as mixed media on Illustration board rather than canvas. She paints whenever her other responsibilities allow. And one of those responsibilities include being the Public Information Representative for the Baha'i faith in Bloomington. It takes a lot of her time as she contacts organizations, sets up radio and TV interviews, contacts news agencies, and attends organizational meetings. Her free time allows her to market her work to galleries, art fairs, and the general public. Her best time for creating is usually in the evening or early morning when all other chores are behind her. She stays up late because there are less interruptions so she can concentrate more on painting. Sara also handles all her own framing and marketing.

	Green is the primary color of organic growth. FLOWERS are distinct in their presence. They are the result of the plants sacrificing to further their species, yet in doing so, they attract much attention and bring such joy and fragrance.
Flowers, 9" x 12" 1999, Mixed Media on Illustration Board $100

Sara loves nature, feeling it a reflection of God and the creative forces that drive her. She's a social creature and enjoys entertaining with her husband Dick at the many meetings they have in their home. She has much wisdom from life's experiences but no longer has the obligation to look after children since they are now married, so she has all the time she needs to do her own creations. She is at peace more now than she ever has been and has more energy than she thought possible. She in fact believes that being mature can be quite freeing and pleasurable.

On the other hand, she abhors prejudice, intolerance, domination, ignorance, superstition, and the way women are treated in most of the world which she considers appalling. In addition to this list is brutality, violence, torture, cruelty, injustice, mean-spirited people, war, murder, rape and violence in the name of religion.

There were four sisters in her family. "Martha passed into the next world in 1994. We three dance the ballet of life in NOW THREE while she assists us from the heavenly place that she is in. We pray for her from this plane of existence until we can meet again. Our worlds are interconnected."
	Now Three, 16 " x 20" 1999, Mixed Media on Illustration Board $350

Sara believes that the ballet, especially modern ballet, is one of the most exciting mediums of art and is like creation in movement. Her paintings are also inspired by dance. Her husband of 27 years is a "positive wonder" in her life and she feels quite fortunate to have him by her side. He keeps track of the business end of her art plus tends art fairs where she exhibits. She believes nature and plants are ultimately important as well as the sound of water fountains which she has on her property and in their home. Peacefulness of the sound of water is very healing. Her children are the pride of her life, whom she considers her greatest creations. She admires the qualities of women and feels that women are in every way equal to men and hopes that some day women will be able to have equal opportunities all over the world. Sara truly enjoys sharing her art with others and it makes her so joyful to hear that other people are uplifted by what she does in her work.

	In FOUR SEASONS, we see Spring, Summer, Winter and Autumn reflected simultaneously in the midst of Kokopelli dancers and Iquanas. Animals help to celebrate her ongoing Mother Nature theme. Crimson borders reflect the Native American love and worship of the natural world.
Four Seasons, 40 " x 48" 1998, Mixed Media on Illustration Board $2500

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

1999: Indiana University Memorial Union Gallery, Bloomington, Indiana
1999: Columbia Club, Indianapolis, Indiana
1998: Wright Education Building, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
1998: Spanish Cultural Center, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
1997: Peoria Artists Guild, Peoria, Illinois
1994: Illinois State Department of Transportation Gallery, Springfield, Illinois
1993: Western Illinois University Union Gallery, Macomb, Illinois
1992: Actor's Theatre Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky
1991: Park Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky
1990: Jasper Community Arts Center, Jasper, Indiana
1989: By Hand Gallery, Bloomington, Indiana
1988: David Strawn Gallery, Jacksonville, Illinois
1986: Ryukyu Provincial Gallery, Naha, Okinawa, Japan
1985: Ryukyu Provincial Gallery, Naha, Okinawa, Japan
1985: Sheraton Hotel Gallery, Okinawa, Japan
1984: Harbison Foundation for the Arts, Columbia, South Carolina
1983: American Cultural Center, USIA, Taegu, South Korea
1982: USIA, American Embassy Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
1979: Subic Bay Naval Base Officer's Club Gallery, Philippines
1978: Five Points Gallery, Columbia South Carolina
1975: Roseville Center for the Arts, Roseville, California
1974: University of South Carolina Fine Arts Gallery, Columbia, South Carolina
1973: University of South Carolina Union Gallery, Columbia, South Carolina


AWARDS AND HONORS


1998: Featured Artist for Publicity, Trails West Art Festival, St. Joseph, Missouri
1998: Cash Award, Homewood Arts Festival, Homewood Illinois
1997: Cash Award, Homewood Arts Festival, Homewood Illinois
1996: Cash Award, Petoskey Festival of Arts, Petoskey, Michigan
1995: First Place Cash Award, Crete Art Festival Crete, Illinois
1994: Award of Merit, Springfield Old Capitol Arts Festival, Springfield, Illinois
1993: Second Place Cash Award, Belgravia Court Arts Festival, Cleveland, Ohio
1993: First Place, Crete Annual Arts Festival, Crete, Illinois
1992: First Place, Belgravia Court Arts Festival, Springfield, Illinois
1992: First Place, Mixed Media, Boston Mills Arts Festival, Cleveland, Ohio
1992: Best of Show, 60th Annual Indiana Arts Club Competition, Indianapolis, Indiana
1992: Award of Excellence, Crete Annual Arts Festival, Crete, Illinois
1991: Best of Show, Round the Fountain Arts Festival, Lafayette, Indiana
1989: Best of Show, Arts Festival on the Square, Columbus, Indiana
1989: Purchase Award, Hoosier Salon Annual, Indianapolis, Indiana
1984: First Place, South Carolina State Fair Professional Competition, Columbia, South Carolina
1983: Visiting Professor, Yongnam University, Taegu, Korea
1982: Full Time Visiting Professor, Kiemyung University, Taegu, South Korea
1974: Cash Award, National Arts Competition, Texas College, Tyler Texas
1971: Purchase Award, 3rd Biennial Nat'l Exhibition, Dickinson State College, Dickinson, North
         Carolina


SELECTED PUBLIC AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS:

Springfield, Illinois Municipal Building
Champaign, Illinois Municipal Building
Bloomington, Indiana Municipal Building
Commins Corporation Permanent Collection
PIP Printing Permanent Collection
J.C. Penney Company, Dickinson, North Dakota
Lake View Country Club, Louisville, Kentucky
Columbus, Indiana Publich Schools, Permanent Collection

Contact the Artist

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ARTIST STATEMENT

My faith has inspired me to paint for 37 years. Along my spiritual path I have used art to communicate my depth of feelings about the Creator and the positive influences all religions have brought to mankind. I paint because I must. I feel it is my destiny to express my vision to others through art. I am humbled by the vast creation that this planet is and the Unknowable Essence that God is. My faith has given me insight into the purpose of my being here. Enjoy! ~ Sara Hatch