ART
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Sarah Finucane
When did you really get into art?
In high school, certain events left me feeling like an outcast, and I was in the "special" classes. There was no greater feeling for me then making images. In high school I got into photography - I really dug being in the dark room -- I'd cut my "real" classes and go to the studios and the time would vanish, even though I still was not very focused on anything at that point.
I went to Parson's School of Design and The New School and immediately was intimidated by the competition. I decided that I would study photography and leave college with some level of commercial training. I left school for an adventure in Italy, which was supposed to be a fashion photo internship but really never panned out to be much more then language school. When I returned NYC just seemed like the same old place, so on the 2nd day of registering for a new semester I headed to Savannah. When I got there, it felt right. I started school the next week in the photo program.
I began making lithographs and that is when my style truly began to emerge. Photos and drawings were the perfect cross of media for me, with intense graphic control and capabilities. By the time I graduated, photo has taken a second seat and I was already freelancing as a Graphic Designer.
How did you come to the realization that you should try your luck at art on a more serious level?
After college I moved to LA and started working as an Art Director and that ate up all of my time and creative energy. Then this summer the company I was with went under, and I all the sudden had time on my hands, and a ton of creative energy. I was waking up in the middle of every night with clear visions of what the next canvas would look like. I'd start working at 3am on sketches and sometimes continue for 22 hours. I was a total insomniac, but it was great to be inspired again.
How did you discover the particular style that you have?
Fashion was always a focus and so was music. In college I started collecting vintage record albums, old magazines, postcards, ect. because I was drawn to the graphics. Savannah has an old soul, and it spawned this great interest in the antiquated. Music creates liaisons with memories. Memories are largely images and feelings in our minds. I wanted to create artwork that made a relative connection, So I began appropriating graphics, sketching fashion then combining the two. It started out like vintage poster art, which made sense at the time because I was making lithographs. Now that I am painting, it's slightly different due to the medium but I'd like to combine printmaking techniques with the painting.
How would you describe your style?
That is hard for me to say. Someone once told me its like Egon Schiele meets the future, something like that.
Who or what influences your art?
Music, Fashion, Design, Egon Schiele, dreams, my brain, my heart, pop-culture and the people in my life, or sometimes a random person on the street with a uniqueness about them. It can come from the oddest places
How often do you create a new piece?
Lately, I have 18 working in a 2 month period. Its hard to say, depends on inspiration. I have a much easier time creating the idea, sketching and the "lean" part of the painting. By that time I am on to the next idea so I struggle to finish pieces. .
What kind of success have you had with your art?
Not much more then a few group shows. I haven't been focused on it like I have been with Graphic Design. I really always felt like it was a pipe dream to actually make a living painting. I still think that, but I am going for it anyway.
What would be the ultimate goal for you and your art?
To turn the pipe dream into a reality.
What do you see as an accomplishment in the way of art?
I think that Shepard Fairey's spin on graffiti propaganda is pretty amazing. The simple fact that no matter what part of the country you are in, you'll find his mark. I admire that his work is not simplified to being a pretty, accessible object. It has a message that makes people aware of their environment. It actual has a social/ political purpose, very different from what I do, and I admire that greatly.
What kind of message, if any, do you try to convey through your art?
There is no grand message. I am not making a political statement with my work. It's more the experiences I go through in life, self-realization, and with the people around me. These images are me working through issues I face in my life. I think people identify with it somehow, maybe they've felt that way before. The symbols and poses create a basis to a story that people can make up on their own.
Sum up your art in one word.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I dunno?
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