Have you ever heard of Sarah Winkler? If you like art, hers is a good name to know.
Winkler is a contemporary landscape painter from England's northern reaches, which are beloved for scenery across the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District. As a young girl, she learned to draw from a neighbour before racking up some frequent flyer miles in southern England, Malawi, Brunei and the United States with her family.
After studying art and Earth science at William Paterson University, Winkler eventually moved with her husband to 9,000 feet above sea level near Denver, Colo. Perched atop a mountain, her studio stands out from others of its kind. In 2005, she began exhibiting her work.
Five years later, Winkler's big break arrived in the form of a large commission for the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Her portfolio has since received international acclaim, featured as it is in more than 100 major private and corporate collections as well as in the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program.
The British expat's painting style captures the essence of wild, scenic landscapes by marrying abstract techniques with the geological narratives Earth has to offer. She sometimes weaves crushed minerals and rocks (i.e. marble dust, mica flakes and obsidian) into her paintings. At other times she tries to emulate geological stratification by way of bold horizontals and flattened planes that reveal surface beauty and subterranean structure.
"Each layer contains a rich history of marks and gestures that incorporates distressing techniques—sanding, carving, salt resists—to evoke erosion, weathering, and the shaping forces of nature over time in a mountainous region," Winkler says. "These textures are composed within a vivid portrayal of place. I view my paintings as enchanted landscapes—mythical, magical realms waiting for characters and stories to emerge. They carry a literary, evocative quality, rich with imagination and description."
Tectonic inspiration
Wanderlust and creative impulse go hand in hand for Winkler.
Having travelled (either alone or with family) since early childhood, she describes her appetite to see things in person as "tectonically wide." Having spent the last decade visiting geologically active places (the Orkney Islands, Iceland, the Swiss Alps and Dolomites) to see mid-rift plates, active volcanoes, high-altitude mountains and glaciers, Winkler emphasizes the importance of being outdoors to any fruitful landscape artist.
"I’ve learned it’s good to specialize. To hone in on your subject," she explains. "Live it and breathe it daily. Get to know it like an old friend. I’ve chosen to focus on the geology of mountains as my subject for the past 10 years and have only just scratched the surface of what is possible visually. I’m now observing the nuances of mountain regions globally. For example: the visual and geological differences between the Alps, the American Rockies and the Canadian Rockies."
Heralded as a top female painter by ARTSY, Winkler is flattered by the overall response to her content. Despite her rapid rise to fame, she knows it took many years to develop her style and find a viable outlet for her career.
To younger artists, she would say: "Don’t be in a rush to develop your artistic voice in the beginning. Just get out into the world and experience your life. Pay attention to what interests you and what doesn’t. When you feel that sensation of what brings you most alive—follow it. Art comes from within. Follow your own unique life path. It will all make sense in the end. Dig deep and never quit (like I almost did)."
Winkler is excited for her maiden voyage to British Columbia and plans to stay for a few weeks to properly appreciate the Sea to Sky. In her opinion, the Whistler Contemporary Gallery (WCG) is an ideal fit to showcase her work "as they look to delight, surprise and intrigue the viewer with innovative art."
Looking ahead, Winkler is developing a Swiss Alps collection and hopes her time in Whistler will lead to more paintings, too. Learn more about her on Aug. 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Hilton, or at whistlerart.com/show/whistler-contemporary-gallery-meet-greet-cocktail-event-with-sarah-winkler.
