Jane Win x Sarah Finkel Art Trunk Show: Interview with Sarah
Jane Win is thrilled to share this series of original artwork by Sarah Finkel Art, offered as a collection for the first time to Jane Win lovers.
As you know it is our joy to bring new artists to our audience. Sarah crossed my path when my friend Sol shared a breast cancer fundraiser. Sarah was donating the proceeds of one of her pieces and I fell in love with her work and purchased immediately. The colors are happy and for all their beauty, this is very ‘affordable’ original artwork. We have some of Sarah’s work in the gallery wall of our showroom and it mixes beautifully with both modern and traditional styles. I also have one of her pieces at our lake house in New Hampshire and they are perfect for a coastal or waterside decor. ENJOY this fabulous trunk show, I am honored to share Sarah Finkel’s work with you ❤️
Sarah!! We are so thrilled to feature your stunning work on our site this week. Give us a little background on you. When did you start painting and when did you find your signature style?
I have a background in graphic design and have always loved art in all of its forms, but I didn’t really start painting until I was at home raising my two kids.
When they were toddlers we would sit at the table and all paint and draw on one big piece of paper together. It had been such a long time since I had made something away from the computer, without rules, expectations or client parameters. It was so liberating!
I credit my kids with helping me develop my style for sure. I would watch my daughter pick up a pastel, tap the paper a few times and then walk away satisfied. She’d come back later and dip a giant brush into some watercolor and add big, gestural strokes to the page and then leave again. It was so cool to watch her create without this idea of making something recognizable. She wasn’t trying to draw a dog or a person or a rainbow, she was just making marks that felt right to her.
I try to use that loose, free, child-like movement in my own work. The less I plan what I am doing next, the better. My style is always evolving and building on itself. I like to go back and forth between abstracts and landscapes but there are definitely certain brush marks and colors that I carry through my work. Right now I am in a cobalt blue phase :)
Sarah painting with her kids, photo by Abigail Harte
I am obsessed with art and finding new artists all the time. Instagram makes it SO easy. What other artists do you love from afar or collect?
When I go to a museum I seek out Monet and Gaugin for their use of color and light, Helen Frankenthaler and Joan Mitchell for their irreverent expressionism. Instagram has changed the game for both makers and collectors. I have discovered so many fantastic artists, here are some faves:
Frea Buckler @freabuckler
Suzy Lindow @suzy.lindow
Sarah Bourne Rafferty @atwaterdesigns
Britt Bass Turner @_brittbass
Massimo Vitali, @_massimovitali_
Hayley Kolar @hayleykolar
Rebecca Adler @radlerart
Allison James @allisonjames.co
You are a mom, an artist, a small business owner. How do you balance it all? Any tips???
Ha, that’s easy; I don’t! There is always one bucket that is getting filled at the expense of the others, I just try my best to even things out over time and make sure none of them runs dry.
My husband is instrumental in making it all happen. He has always been so confident in me, even when I didn't feel that way about myself and doesn't bat an eye when he comes home to a house that is a total wreck because I have been doing some crazy project. My studio is in my house so he and the kids have gotten to watch me build this small business right before their eyes. They see me happily painting and losing myself in my art, but they also see me when I am super frustrated with my work and the tedious hours spent at the computer doing the not so glamorous stuff.
It was stressful to have little kids running around with stacks of canvases waiting to get trampled, but now that they are 7 and almost 10, I actually involve them in my process. My daughter loves to record and edit videos for my social media and my son loves scraping dried paint off of palettes and using the paper cutter. Pro tip: kids love jobs that feel important and slightly dangerous.
Sarah's piece "Lake Approach", available for purchase
here.
I looove my bayside acrylic, I have it hung in Lake Sunapee where we spend the summer. What is your favorite summer spot?
Hands down Petoskey, Michigan. My grandmother lives in the house on the lake that my my mom and her six siblings grew up in and I love going there to visit. The water is vibrant blue-green and crystal clear and there are all of these enclaves of Victorian summer cottages. It really is like a fairy tale. One of our favorite things to do is walk on the beach in front of my grandma's, make a bonfire to roast marshmallows, and skip stones while we watch the sun set over the bay. It's definitely my happy place and the inspiration behind this collection of work!
Sarah's favorite summer spot, Petoskey, Michigan
Thank you SO much to Sarah for sharing her work with us. We love sharing artists with our customers and are thrilled to showcase Sarah's work. Check out Sarah's Trunk Show collection
here and be sure to follow her on Instagram @SarahFinkelArt.
