Art by Sarah Newsome
Size: 25″ x 16″ x 25″
Medium: Iridescent fabric, house paint, resin, cardboard tubing, glue
Statement: The reflective quality of Afterglow suggests artificial perfection, as the high-gloss quality of the resin creates a subtle reflective surface, yet denies a true mirror image. Shimmer and shine use their immateriality to pretend transparency while truthfully offering glistening opacity. And therein lies the paradox: seductive luster is so often used to mediate failure and divert attention from the possibility of eventual decay.
Hailing from Wilmington, North Carolina, Sarah Newsome is a cross-disciplinary artist living in Portland, Oregon. Initially fueled by the desire to cope with a body that, at times, feels alien, Newsome’s work explores the use of artificiality as a means of authenticity. She received her MFA in Craft from Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon, in 2019, and her BA from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2015. Newsome has exhibited work in Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Idaho. She was the inaugural student member at Gallery 114 in Portland, Oregon, and is a regular visiting artist/critic at Pacific Northwest College of Art and Clark College. www.sarahnewsome.com