MARY SAUER
I paint on canvas directly in a representational, impressionistic approach. I am very inspired by portraits done by Cecelia Beaux, the idea of a modern day Mary Cassatt as seen in the work of Jenny Saville, and abstract expressionists like Willem de Kooning. I find Kant’s interpretation of aestheticism very intriguing. He explains that objective and subjective aesthetics are not mutually exclusive and should in fact be melded together so that the beauty that may or may not be inherent in an object can be pleasing to the viewer regardless. I believe there is beauty in every form which can be translated to the canvas by showing it as it appears naturally. This pushes me to achieve representational color harmony, proportion, and value relationships via a traditional approach to oil painting. I apprenticed with the figurative painter William Whitaker for two years and learned a good deal about the sensitivity and beauty of value, edge and line and have since furthered my studies at the Art Students League of New York and Grand Central Academy of Art. My love of mastering the technical side of representational painting has been further enhanced by these institutions. My experience working for Jeff Koons the last two years and regularly attending gallery openings and museums while living in NYC has made me want to learn to make this traditional form of art more relevant in today’s contemporary art world. As a lifetime artist, I am drawn to the beauty of both the human condition and the human figure to communicate a message through painting.
Exhibitions
2012
Backlash | SoHo20 | Chelsea, NY, NY
Stop Staring II | Gallery Ho | NY, NY
Wish You Were Here | A.I.R. Gallery | NY, NY
Grantee Exhibition | NoMAA Gallery | NY, NY
The 27th Chelsea International Fine Art Competition | Agora Gallery | NY, NY
Art of the Portrait Exhibition | PSoA Annual Conference | Philadelphia, PA
10th National Juried Show | Ceres Gallery | NY, NY
Women in the Heights | Group Show | NoMAA Gallery | NY, NY
Collector’s Choice | Group Show | Sylvia White Gallery | Ventura, CA
2011
Small Works | Group Show | NYC City Hall | NY, NY
Emergence | Group Show | Blooming Arts Festival | NY, NY
Look Up | NoMAA Art Auction | NY, NY
Single Fare 2: Please Swipe Again | Group Show | Sloan Fine Art | NY, NY
Women in the Heights | Group Show | NoMAA Gallery | NY, NY
2010
Team Work | Group Show | Alan Nederpelt Gallery | Brooklyn, NY
BYU Alumni Show | B.F. Larson Gallery | Provo, UT
2009
The Classical Portrait | Solo Exhibition | B. F. Larson Gallery | Provo, UT
BYU Annual Student Show | B. F. Larson Gallery | Provo, UT
Illustration Association Showcase | Utah County Art Gallery | Provo, UT
BYU Life Drawing Show | B. F. Larson Gallery | Provo, UT
2008 | BYU Life Drawing Show | B. F. Larson Gallery | Provo, UT
Awards & Publications
American Art Collector Magazine, Cover Photo and Article, August 2012
Southwest Art Magazine, "21 Under 31" Article, September 2012
Winner "Best of Show", 2012 Portrait Society of America International Portrait Competition
2012 Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance Grant Winner
Education
The Grand Central Academy of Art
The Art Student’s League of New York
Apprentice in the studio of William Whitaker
FA in Illustration from Brigham Young University