Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Bachrodt.
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois in the 1940’s, Sarah has distinct memories of the moment she knew she wanted to create art. Not yet equipped with the words to describe her burgeoning ambitions, but feeling them within herself nonetheless, Sarah would essentially mime her aspirations, gesturing with the same movement and vigor she now incorporates when creating her larger-than-life works.
As a child, she was a serial visitor to Chicago’s Field Art Museum, she was enamored by the famed institution’s collection of Native American art. Later in life, she was captivated by the way each work was imbued with its own sense of spirituality, how each line conveyed a different message to a god or deity, while communicating volumes about its ability to heal and protect. The intense and therapeutic powers of these works instilled in her a desire to create works of her own and to cloak herself, her home, and her family in the thoughts and expressions that would protect them.
Her desire to paint was also born out of emotional necessity: in the wake of personal tragedy, the practicing poet and self-proclaimed empath relished discovering new ways to channel her feelings, record her experiences and make sense of her surroundings. Writing poetry allowed her to better understand her feelings and find the strength and clarity to cope with life’s challenging moments: “I’m the kind of person who finds that the practice of recording my thoughts and feelings allows me to share and express myself and understand the world around me and life in general…thus my paintings are my visual and emotional records.”
Her connection to art was a vehicle for self-discovery. “When you experience any form of art, you get to know yourself,” Bachrodt says. Consistent with this notion, her artworks are the ultimate study of self-reflection and spiritual discovery through color, movement and line.
After relocating to Boca Raton, Florida, in the mid-1980s, her found creative inspiration in the lush local landscapes. She was enamored by the vivid plant life in her garden and sought to infuse the colors and passion that would come to distinguish her work. Staring into the face of a flower, she studied the ways in which the pigment pooled in its petals, documenting a delicate dance between color and space – a phenomenon she continues to explore, reveal and incorporate in her art today.
After an illustrious career in the 1990s that took her from Miami to New York, from her native Chicago, to Florence, Italy, she felt it was necessary to temporarily disconnect from the gallery circuit and reconnect with her craft, allowing her to produce art for the purpose of personal fulfillment rather than self-capitalization. After reaching back down to her roots and making art for art’s sake, she reemerged in the new millennium with a sizeable collection of prized pieces. Distinguishable by series instead of by name, her extraordinary work continues to defy categorization and pushes the bounds of introspection into this new and exciting era for generations to come.
“Sarah has an interesting background,” says Kraig Antoniou, her agent and managing director of CGB Fine Art Management. “She has never stopped painting despite a somewhat troubled personal life. No matter the age, and after having 15 years of not having any serious representation, she is now at a point in her life where she wants to stand and reemerge as an American woman painter, and we will help her. I believe she can be a role model to the younger generation of up and coming female artists, sending them the message to ‘keep working and share your work with the world.’”
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Sarah Bachrodt is a colorist and abstract expressionist painter.
With their massive scale, movement and energy, Bachrodt’s works are much more than a “decorative accessory”. Through their broad expressive strokes, rich-layered textures and intricate use of color, Bachrodt’s abstract expressionist works are intuitive pieces to be experienced. Devoid of titles, her work can be whatever the observer wants them to be. Rather than limit the evocative possibilities of a piece, Bachrodt believes in letting viewers extract what they may from her art. While they are profoundly personal recordings of her thoughts, feelings, and experiences, there isn’t one singular or uniform way to interpret or understand them. It is Bachrodt’s hope that partons and newcomers alike will engage in their own form of self-discovery and meditative catharsis when interacting with her works.
While some may see flashes of Joan Mitchell’s sweeping movement of light and paint, Jackson Pollock’s radical manipulation of line or Mark Rothko’s depth of color in her works, it goes without saying that Sarah Bachrodt’s pieces are as diverse and multifaceted as the inspirations behind them. Employing an array of tools and techniques – from brushes, hard cloths and palette knives to her own her hands- free pouring and finely-milled sand for texture – experimentation is the key to Bachrodt’s creative process. Each of her expansive creations is an in-depth study of movement, color and line. “I have discovered the language of paint– I have found tremendous joy in colors; I need them,” she says.
When faced with a blank canvas, Bachrodt takes an almost meditative approach – with a series of breaths and a mindful look inward, she works with what she believes is her spirit to create the works we know today.
“I usually don’t have an idea of what I’m going to do. I stand in front of the canvas and meditate for maybe a minute and then start. For me, it’s about bringing out a deeper part of myself, and if I’m thinking about something, I kind of stop that. I can get stuck on that and then it doesn’t really work out for me. I obviously make decisions, so I am thinking every time I move my hands, but I prefer to let the canvas and the oils guide me and put what I have inside.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
New Technologies.
New Technologies applied to the art industry and artworks.
Boom in diversity.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Sarah Bachrodt is currently represented by CGB Fine Art (www.cgb-fineart.com). People can see her work on her social media:
Facebook: Sarah Bachrodt Studio
Instagram: SarahBachrodtMedia
an also on her website (sarahbachrodt.com), where we constantly update the upcoming exhibitions and fairs.
We are currently exhibiting her work in Monaco at Ave 39 Princess Grace with Boccara Art (boccara-art.com) and will further be exhibiting her work in November in Shanghai and in December at Art Miami.
Her work has been extremely well received by the public, her peers, and collectors alike. Previously this year, her work was exhibited in Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary (January 15-18), Art Boca Raton (March 15-18) and Art New York (May 3-6)
Contact Info:
- Address: 980 N FEDERAL HWY # 110,BOCA RATON, FL. 33432
- Website: sarahbachrodt.com
- Phone: +1 239 370 8444
- Email: kraig@cgbfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbachrodtmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahbachrodtmedia/
- Other: www.cgb-fineart.com
Image Credit:
CGB Fine Art
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