If you want to see my work, please begin by browsing my Landscapes 1960-1980 portfolio.
Born in New York City in 1930, I've enjoyed wonderful advantages and opportunities to study and pursue my goals as an artist. As a painter and a traveler I have created seascapes in Washington State and New Jersey in watercolor and pastel; responded to the lovely light, textures and contours of Tuscany; accepted the challenge of capturing the quality of the light and air of Venice; drawn and modeled the gnarled tree trunk of a juniper tree, the oceanic flow of the prairies and the variety of the hills and forests of the Midwest. With pen and ink, watercolor, soft pastel, and Sumi brush on muslin, silk and Japanese rice paper, in works as small as 5x7 and as large as 30x40 inches I have attempted to capture the essence of the light and colors of all the beautiful places I have lived and visited. But I have not forgotten people. In black and white and tinted drawings I continue working to capture social and cultural meaning as expressed in the dress, postures, attitudes and activities of people from the streets of New York City, from the history and customs of Orthodox Jewry, and from the cities and towns of Europe as well as Southern New Jersey.
I paint with watercolors but not in the traditional manner. I use the medium to express emotion and my feelings about the subjects I observe - to capture the essence of light and form. Because of its transparency, watercolor lends itself to interpretation as well as representation. I choose to concentrate on interpretation - a type of impressionism. I look at the sky, the water, the land and all the variety of nature to see within the shapes, lines and colors that are there: the forms that I put on the paper are, in fact, the reality that I experience.
Pastels for me are more physical and immediate than watercolor. Direct manipulation of the material with my hands and fingers, without the intermediary brush and water, allows me to create abstract forms that communicate my impressions of physical reality while taking advantage of the complex and intensive colors and textures that are available within that medium.
Drawing is a daily activity for me. Pen and ink drawing, as well as Chinese brush painting, differs from either pastel or watercolor painting because of the absolute simplicity and purity of line. Drawing gives life to natural forms and disciplines the artist to observe and respect the subject. I have always had a passion for capturing moments on film. With more than 10 years of experience, I have the skill and trained eye to make your project come to life.
my story
selected exhibitions
education
Artist's Statement
Sara Fowler
Art Student's League in New York City beginning at age seven; anatomy, drawing and painting full-time with Professors Robert Beverly Hale and George Grosz, among others, at the Art Student's League. Fine Arts major at New York University and The New School for Social Research in New York City including art history and aesthetics with Professors Janson and Arnheim. Etching and engraving at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY; Commercial Art at Jean Morgan School of Design, New York, NY; and Chinese painting theory and technique at the China Institute, New York, NY; as well as art history at the University of Texas, Austin, TX.
Solo Exhibition - 2006 - Jewish Community Center, Voorhees, NJ - Large historical show of drawings, pastels, and works on cloth.
Solo Exhibition - 2003 - Camden County Library, Voorhees, NJ - Large show of primarily soft pastels - September 2003.
Group Exhibition - 2003 - Markheim Art Center Members Exhibition, Haddonfield, NJ - Two oil pastels, July 2003.
Group Exhibition - 2003 - Northwest Pastel Society 17th International Exhibition, Seattle, WA - 1 oil pastel selected by jury, which was also winner of Peninsula Art League Award - June 3 - July 23, 2003.
Group Exhibition - 2003 - Juried Botanical Exhibition, Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts, Millville, NJ - Four watercolors from "The Flower Series" selected for showing February 20 - March 16, 2003.
Group Exhibition - 2002 - A Tribute to New York City - Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, NJ - Two pen and ink drawings selected for inclusion by jury.
"[T]wo ink drawings by Sarah [sic] Fowler suggest that this show might have been better if it had included less photography."
Edward J. Sozanski, Inquirer Art Critic, The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 25, 2002.
Solo Exhibition - 1989 - Ocean City Gallery, Ocean City, NJ - Pastel seascapes
Solo Exhibition - 1978 - Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park, MN - Landscapes, Tinted Ink Brush works on cloth and rice paper; watercolors and tinted pen and ink drawings, especially portrait drawings of Jews based on historical photographs.
Group Exhibition and Gallery Representation - 1972-1975 - Women In the Arts Gallery, Austin, TX - Landscape scrolls on cloth; watercolors and drawings.
Solo Exhibition - 1972 - Unitarian Gallery, Austin, TX - Watercolor landscapes.