Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery
Celebrating the modernity of creative contemporary and traditional art through online art competition
Sara Bardin
Second Place
Artist Statement
In 2009, I started creating art to relieve myself from the stress I was experiencing in daily life. On a visit to the national US Botanic Garden and I became inspired to paint flowers. I find that a flower’s beauty, color, and texture evoke deep emotion within me. My art conveys this emotion and when people see my work, I would like it to induce any type of feeling or memory.
My main subject matter over the last few years has been bearded irises. A bearded iris displays a heart-pounding beauty in its splendor. The velvety texture of the falls, the papery lightness of the standards, and the colorful splash of the beard combine to make a deeply inspiring portrait of this gorgeous flower. Although I have planted a garden bed full of irises that I now work from, I also choose other genus of flowers to paint from when I am inspired.
The inspiration for “Yearning” came from a family friend. She suggested that I paint a peony, a flower that she is deeply connected to. A few weeks later as I went out to groom my irises and I noticed this incredibly beautiful magenta flower reaching for the morning sky. While I did not know that I had peonies in my garden, it did not take me long to find inspiration in this challenging flower.
My pieces are all acrylic paint on canvas. I use acrylic because I am sensitive to chemicals. I love the brilliant color that is achievable. I use it to make my subject matter pop from the canvas visually. With the advances made in the development of acrylics it facilitates the blending and drying times making it easier to blend and create believable textures.
SELECTED AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS, and PUBLICATIONS:
Spring Emergence Exhibition New Masters Art Galley – March 2017 – “Printemps” Solo Exhibition
26th Annual Strathmore Juried Exhibition: La Vie en Bleu –January 2017 – “Joy”
Maryland Federation of Arts Strokes of Genius Juried Exhibition – November 2016 – “Yearning”
2016 Creative Expressions Montgomery Arts Association Member Show – June 2016 – 1st Place Still Life – “Joy”
Linus Galleries In Bloom Online Exhibition – April 2016 – “Joy”
Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery (EWCG) 2nd Annual Art and Flowers Juried Exhibition – April 2016 – “Joy”
Creative Quarterly – The Journal of Art and Design – 43rd edition – Summer 2016 – Runner-Up – “Joy”
CityScapes – Light Space and Time Online Exhibition – February 2016 – Special Merit Award – “Manhattenhenge”
Light, Space, and Time Online Gallery All Women 2016 – January 2016 – Special Merit Award – “Awakening”
Maryland Federation of Arts Strokes of Genius Juried Exhibition – November 2015 – “Awakening”
Colorful Abstractions – Fusion Art’s International Online Juried Art Exhibition – November 2015 – “Rock Pool”
Light, Space, and Time Online Gallery Botanicals Art Exhibition – November 2015 – Special Recognition – Painting and Other Category – “Joy”
Montgomery Arts Association Paint the Town Kensington Labor Day Show – September 4- September 7, 2015 – Honorable Mention – “Manhattanhenge”
Hill Center Galleries Juried Exhibition – June 2015 – September 2015 – “Pebbles”
Washington ArtsWork Burst of Color Juried Exhibition – May 2014 – “Yellow Iris”
“Présence Féminine Dans L’Art Haïtien” (The Presence of Women in Haitian Art). – December 2013 – Publication