My paintings are memoirs of my experiences with nature. Through painting I participate in the landscape, recognize transcendent moments in nature, honor the integrity of natural forms, and describe where my heart lives. I often feel as if the places I paint have commissioned me to tell their autobiographies, at the same time that I tell my own.
I was born in Bar Harbor, Maine, grew up even farther downeast in Addison, a small town in Washington County, and now live and work in the midcoast region. I make my living as a painter and as a seller of used and rare books. I paint directly from nature and in my home studio.
In July of 2021 my life partner and husband Ryan King died unexpectedly. We spent nearly thirty years together. He was and remains foundational to who I am. My new work is about experiencing this loss, revisiting the places we loved, and finding ways to continue somehow - for him, for myself, and for the subjects I paint, which ask for my attention and love. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, I made a series of paintings for Ry called The Field and The Fieldstone. Some of the paintings are these elegies. Some remain private.
My other long-term painting series include: Home Truth, about hometowns and the themes of time, memory, and homecoming; Autobiography of an Island, about Bear Island in Penobscot Bay; and The Ocean of Trees, about inland mountains, lakes and waterways. No matter where I'm working or what the ostensible subject matter is, I paint the places I love, and the shapes, moments, and situations within those places I find beautiful and haunting. My main goal in painting is feeling at home in nature. If I had to describe my work in five words, I would say: shadowy areas surrounded by light.
I love to work in places of integrity, with minimal human-made stuff in evidence, places that haven’t changed much since some of my heroes painted there too. The natural energy and sublime beauty that motivated them is still present, and motivates me in turn. It’s all around and I find it intensely satisfying.
In July of 2021 my life partner and husband Ryan King died unexpectedly. We spent nearly thirty years together. He was and remains foundational to who I am. My new work is about experiencing this loss, revisiting the places we loved, and finding ways to continue somehow - for him, for myself, and for the subjects I paint, which ask for my attention and love. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, I made a series of paintings for Ry called The Field and The Fieldstone. Some of the paintings are these elegies. Some remain private.
My other long-term painting series include: Home Truth, about hometowns and the themes of time, memory, and homecoming; Autobiography of an Island, about Bear Island in Penobscot Bay; and The Ocean of Trees, about inland mountains, lakes and waterways. No matter where I'm working or what the ostensible subject matter is, I paint the places I love, and the shapes, moments, and situations within those places I find beautiful and haunting. My main goal in painting is feeling at home in nature. If I had to describe my work in five words, I would say: shadowy areas surrounded by light.
I love to work in places of integrity, with minimal human-made stuff in evidence, places that haven’t changed much since some of my heroes painted there too. The natural energy and sublime beauty that motivated them is still present, and motivates me in turn. It’s all around and I find it intensely satisfying.
cloud bank, view of bear island from great spruce head island, maine - oil/linen, 8" x 24", 2018
copyright 2024 sarah faragher, all rights reserved
