We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Laird recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

As an independent artist, I have participated in many different events. It’s always important to grow, whether in my craft or my perspective in life. I would say one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was the last solo exhibit I held in 2021, “Thirsty for Water”.

The show was originally going to be held in the spring of 2020. However, because of the pandemic, the date kept getting pushed back to the point where I wasn’t sure the show would even happen. Nonetheless, I kept painting, and as the world spun in chaos, my perspective of what my paintings meant kept changing.

Eventually, “Thirsty for Water” became about how we all go through this life thirsty, trying to find the next thing to quench our desires. At its core, this exhibit of 30 paintings was my reflective expression of life as a follower of Christ. How it hurt me, healed me, and that love is at the core of it all.

Since then, I’ve started working on my next show, “Delicate & Dangerous.” Often, the things people label as delicate can be the most dangerous. Take glass as an example. It’s beautiful to look at and considered a fragile substance. However, if it’s broken, it becomes harmful. The paintings in this series deal with different “delicate” imagery as a metaphor for how women are perceived and treated in society. And how, when these fragile things are compromised, they can become a force to be reckoned with.

As an artist, I can only make art based on my own experiences, and the longer I create, the more I feel inclined not to soften my art’s message for the masses’ easy consumption. In this day and age of the fake and digitized, it’s more important to be real, even if it’s not pretty. This is my mentality going into creating “Delicate & Dangerous” because I know what I want to say with my paintings may make some people uncomfortable, and to embrace that. It’s both scary and exciting.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Sarah Laird, and I am an abstract oil painter. I am known for my vivid and bold use of color, botanical anatomy, and fluid forms. Using techniques of figure metamorphosis and anonymity, I express the interlacing of social constructs, spirituality, and complex emotions. Inspired by music, abstract expressionism, and the concept of being human, my work has been described as organic dreams of the heart and soul.

Even since I was young, I’ve had a drive to create. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was my first sketchbook at seven years old. I grew a habit of always carrying a sketchbook around, filling up multiple in a year. It wasn’t until I decided to pursue a BFA at the University of North Texas that I was introduced to oil painting.

What was, at first, a love-hate relationship for me turned into an act of therapy and connection. Painting allows me to disconnect from the world and express myself without judgment as I tangle with emotions through color, composition, and form.

Even though making art isn’t my “full-time job,” it will always be my passion and lifeblood. Over the years, I have participated in group showings and curated my own art exhibits. I also actively work on commissions for others of personal paintings and murals.

What I strive for in my work is the awakening of self-reflection—inviting the viewer to discover a piece of themselves within the painting and bringing people together in community and discussion. Art reflects the human condition, and inviting others into that allows them to experience life through a different set of eyes.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Human Connection. It’s hardwired into us to desire genuine connection with others. In our modern day, it’s hard to have authentic relationships, and it only seems to worsen. However, I’ve seen firsthand how art affects people and sparks deep conversations. Especially paintings. There’s something inherently special about seeing art in a physical sense rather than digitally. It allows people to exist and engage in the present.

On a personal level, painting is a way to deconstruct and understand the world around me. The process of making and expression is instinctively spiritual for me. I leave each session with a better understanding of who I am and my purpose in this world. Inevitably, it is also how others can truly see and understand me.

So, human connection for others and myself is what drives my creative journey and purpose.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It’s so cliché but, in a way, true. My plans often didn’t happen as I thought they would, and I’ve had to adapt. Plans like, going to an expensive, esteemed art school, which inevitably weren’t in the cards, or living in a city where creative careers don’t thrive. However, despite these and other roadblocks, I’ve still found ways to pursue my passion. Even though I’m not a “full-time artist” and work a corporate job, I still make and show my art. It’s a testament to my resolve that no matter what I have to do for work or where I live, I know making art is my purpose, and I will pursue it. Living a life of obstacles and still staying on track with your goals is not easy, but it’s worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://javainkstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/javainkstudios/