Make Art: Sarah Hasty Williams, Artist at Home
Painter Sarah Hasty Williams acknowledges an influential teacher for her life-long passion for art.
I have been an artist for as long as I can remember. It all began with a wonderful first-grade teacher, Mrs. Webb who gave me special art projects to do in order to keep me engaged and then recommended that my parents find a private art teacher for me. They did and everywhere we moved, I had a different teacher. It kept me in it and trying new things and new media all the time. Trying new things is probably one of the most important aspects of my personal artistic philosophy. In my opinion, art is like science with soul.
First and foremost, I am a painter. My favorite medium to work with is a mixed water media which is a combination of transparent watercolor, opaque watercolor gouache, and sometimes acrylic. I have experimented with painting on paper, canvas, watercolor, illustration board, and even masonite. The subjects that I am drawn to are landscapes of Virginia, North Carolina, and Ireland. These landscapes often include native wildlife, birds, or farm animals. Portrait-like studies of birds, wildlife, and other animals are also favorites of mine. I also do a bit of graphic design and illustration work.
Lately, I have had a three-pronged approach to my work. The first prong is working on the illustrations, book design, and formatting for a series of children's books. The author commissioned my work and I've had a ball bringing her stories to life and publication! The second prong is commissioned paintings. The latest piece in this category is a large original of the Chesapeake Bay area. The third prong is my work on a series of paintings of rural Ireland.
It is important to me to continue exploring and learning about the environment, flora and fauna and culture. Art gives me the opportunity to do this as well as to express what I see and have learned. For instance, I was asked to do a series of paintings on neotropical transient birds and the native wildflowers that provide them with food and habitat. It was such a delight to study birds such as goldfinches and hummingbirds and the native wildflowers that sustain them.
I encourage everyone to explore art at home. Have fun with it! Learn to really look at things in your environment. It's amazing how often we skim over things, never really seeing the texture, shadows, and shapes. Art doesn't have to be for sale or for a professional endeavor. Heck, I used to play a fair bit of tennis and had great fun with it, but I would never consider that I might be a professional player. Art is good for everyone, no matter what the motivation for doing it.
You can view more of Sarah’s art and find out more about her on her portfolio, website or connect with her through Artist sites on Facebook, Behance, or LinkedIn.