I decide which landscapes to paint as a spontaneous connection made during my travels which involve seeking out interesting geological features, chasing celestial phenomena and collecting natural objects from the water and ground.
Patterns of Nature
There are a set of basic patterns in nature that repeat. Organic patterns like striations, graining, branching and waves can be spotted in mountains, forests, the sea and beyond. I photograph and/or collect samples of minerals, rocks, gems, shells, sticks, feathers, sand, petrified wood and other found objects to incorporate into the paintings either physically on the surface or their textures simulated in acrylic and water media. Their surface patterns tell a geological story of Earth’s formation, climatic changes and continuing adaptation. It’s a story of change, chance and persistence. It’s a look at the very fabric of design and interconnectedness of all life on earth.
The process of landscape formation has a kinship with the artistic process of painting. Pigments and tools made to move and react like sandstone in a rainstorm or glacier scars on a granite mountain.
My paintings are the result of a distinctive artistic practice that I’ve been developing for the past two decades to reflect and reenact the geological forces of erosion and formation on surfaces by applying paints and then distressing them to mimic the impact of wind, water, weather and climate on landscape surfaces.
Reflecting
My work is recognizable for its ‘folded earth, open sky’ mirror effect that imagines the hidden subsurface geology below the ground that creates the reality above a horizon line. Magma chambers, lava tubes, frozen ice cores, volcanic rock, iron ore, silver veins all make their way into the mountainous forms I depict.
Collage
I sketch in a collage format with prepared papers on panel. I develop those sketches into larger scaled acrylic paintings that retain a collage aesthetic. I like to work in layers - a process of applying paint over time in planned sections that allow freedom of chance within its boundaries. It’s a rearrangement of space as if we were to imagine new geological outcomes and sensationalized vistas.
Locations
Locations like Mount Rainier and the Coastal Range are not depicted with identical exactness instead I position the work in the abstract state between the physical world and the emotive experiences of place.
SARAH WINKLER
(BRITISH - AMERICAN, B. 1973 Manchester, UK)
Sarah Winkler’s work explores geological aspects of landscape formation. Combining Studio Art, Earth Science, and Creative Writing during her studies at William Paterson University, Winkler began her career as a collage artist and award winning print media graphic designer. Her work draws inspiration from the diverse geological landscapes she has encountered throughout her life. Having lived in places ranging from Malawi, Africa to Brunei, Borneo, to the dramatic coastlines of Big Sur, California, and currently the majestic Rocky Mountains. Winkler currently resides in Colorado. Her studio sits at an elevation of 9,000 feet.
Winkler’s art is represented in galleries in the US and Canada, and has been featured in museums and Art Fairs such as Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Bakersfield Museum of Art in California, Art Aspen, and the LA Art Show. Her work has since been featured in over 100 prominent US and international collections, from Maker’s Mark Whisky in Kentucky, to Vail Health in Colorado and Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Winkler is a participating artist in the US Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, where she has recently been showcased at the American Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. She was named one of the top ‘Women Painters on the Rise’ by Artsy Inc. and was curated into their 2022 digital billboard campaign 'Scenes of Summer' exhibition in New York City. Her work has been featured in Scientific American, Times UK, Vail Valley, Mountain Living, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, American Art Collector, New American Paintings and in the documentary, 'Moment' by Making Art Films.
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (MUSEUM)
2026 - The Big Pretty, Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, KS
2011 - Golden Contours, San Luis Obispo Art Museum, San Luis Obispo, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (INTERNATIONAL)
*2019-2023 - Art in Embassies. US Dept. of State. US Ambassador’s Residence, US Embassy, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (GALLERY)
2026 - Folded Earth, Open Sky, Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, WA
2026 - Off Piste, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2025 - Sea to Sky - Whistler Contemporary Gallery, Whistler, BC
*2025 - Desert Modern - Vail International Gallery, Vail, CO
2025 - River Stones - Visions West Contemporary, Livingston, MT
2023 - Edge of The Wild, Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, WA
*2023 - Peak Perspective, Vail International Gallery, Vail, CO
2022 - Scenes of Summer, ARTSY, New York, NY
2022 - Uplifted, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2022 - Chasing Starlight, Eclipses & Rainbows, Visions West Contemporary, Denver, CO
2022 - Montana Landscape, Visions West Contemporary, Bozeman, MT
*2022 - Heart of The Mountain, Vail International Gallery, Vail, CO
2021 - Mountain Glow, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2021 - Dreams About The West, Owen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2020 - All Mountain, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2020 - Land of the Glacier, Visions West Contemporary, Denver, CO
2020 - Reflections in Winter, MiXX Atelier, Telluride, CO
2019 - Monumental Duality, K Contemporary, Denver, CO
2019 - Stratification: MiXX Atelier, Telluride, CO
2019 - Sedimentary, Foster / White Gallery, Seattle, WA
2018 - Exploration, A Survey of Recent Works, K Contemporary, CO
2018 - Luminous Mountainous, K Contemporary, Denver, CO
2017 - Altered Landscapes, Space Gallery, Denver, CO
2017 - Past / Present, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2016 - Abstracted Landscapes: Four World Views, Space Gallery, Denver
2016 - Formations, Constructed Landscape, Helikon Gallery, Denver, CO
*Exhibition catalogue published.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 - Air, Foster / White Gallery, Seattle, WA
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 - Mountain Standard Time, Visions West Contemporary, Denver & Montana
2024 - Water, Foster / White Gallery, Seattle, WA
2023 - After The Gold Rush, Western Gallery. Austin, TX
2022 - Fire, Foster / White Gallery, Seattle, WA
2022 - I Love the West and The West Loves Me, Visions West Contemporary, Denver, CO
2022 - Earth, Foster / White Gallery, Seattle, WA
2021 - Wildflowers, Gallery MAR, Park City, UT
2019 - Response, Colorado Governor’s Residence. Denver, CO
2019 - Art of the State, Arvada Center, Colorado
2018 - Open Space: The Finite Frontier, Curtis Center, CO
Art Fairs
2026 - Assembly Art Fair with Foster/White Gallery. Seattle, WA
2023 - Seattle Art Fair with Foster/White Gallery. Seattle, WA
2020 - Jackson Hole Fine Art Fair with K Contemporary. Jackson, WY
2019 - ART ASPEN with K Contemporary. Aspen, CO
2019 - LA ART SHOW with K Contemporary. Los Angeles, CA
ART COLLECTIONS (selected)
Stanford Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto, CA • San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA • Montefiore Einstein Medical Center, Labor and Delivery, Bronx, NYC • Vail Health Hospital, Vail, CO • Royal Caribbean, Oslo, Norway and Barcelona, Spain • Cosmopolitan Hotel of Las Vegas, NV • Hilton West Palm Beach, FL • Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT • Montage, Deer Valley, Park City, UT • One Empire Pass, Park City, UT• Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley, AZ • The Phoenician, Paradise Valley, AZ• Viceroy, Aspen, CO • The SLO Hotel, San Luis Obispo, CA • Marriott Paso Robles, CA • Ritz Carlton, Denver, CO • Lodge Tower, Vail Village, Vail, CO • Hotel Oberland, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland • Amazon HQ, Bellingham, WA • Chevron HQ, San Ramon, CA• Albemarle Corporation, Kings Mountain, NC & Charlotte, NC• Catalyst HTI, Denver, CO • Newmont Mining Corp. Denver, CO • Morrison & Foerster Law Office, Denver, CO • Makers Mark Distillery, Louisville, KY • Imagery Winery, Sonoma, CA •Justin Vineyards, Paso Robles, CA • Squaw Valley Resort, CA