Sarah Kaiser

Stop
oil on canvas
28 x 24 in.

Painting and printmaking are cathartic, powerful tools that help me to survive in a Hobbesian world. Growing up in a home steeped in a cacophony of argumentative words caused me to bottle up my emotions and learn to express them through the realm of the visual. This painting is part of the “Accident” series, which I began while earning an MFA from the University of Chicago. As a recent graduate of the program, I still paint glass and porcelain shards, which have broken arbitrarily. They reveal the unconscious, ineffable forces that exist behind the curtain. Also, they possess a radiant quality of light that refracts in a manner that I strive to digest. The knives that have surfaced in my work refer to an inclination to employ defensive measures in order to isolate myself from others due to repressed trauma. In summary, I feel that the process of making art helps me to heal from my past, to break down the walls that I construct, and to become an accessible, well-rounded person. As an art instructor, I enjoy passing on this magical power to others by developing an ideological kinship with my students.

© Sarah Kaiser