Art is a second career for Sarah as she started out her working life as a Systems Engineer at Intel. As a child, Sarah loved to draw but her practical side lead her to pursue an education and career as an engineer. It was only later in life that Sarah was able to begin pursuing her passion for art by studying painting. She chose pastels as she loved the vibrant colors, and they looked to be a medium that would allow for the frequent interruptions that come with being a mother of four young children. It was a good choice!

Sarah has studied with several internationally known pastel artists including Richard McKinley, Sally Strand, and Desmond O’Hagan. Since entering her first exhibition in 2003, she has received numerous awards at the local, national, and international levels. Recently she was awarded Signature Status in the Pastel Society of America, adding to her Signature Status in the Pastel Society of the West Coast and the Pastel Society of New Mexico.

Sarah has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband since 1990. They have four children.

Artist Statement

“I personally perform all creative aspects of my work, from the initial concept to the finished painting. My pastel paintings are done with soft pastel on Wallis sanded pastel paper. Prior to painting, I have my paper dry mounted to 4-ply museum board. This keeps the paper flat and provides a good painting surface. My first step is to create a sketch using pencil to establish the shapes and identify the light and dark areas. This is followed by a watercolor under painting, emphasizing the dark areas of the painting. The last step is to apply the soft pastel, working from the dark areas to the light. All materials used in the process and in framing are acid free and archival.”