SARAH
AMOS
“In Sarah Amos’ work, I find her pictorial strength, infused with the inventive application of material, evokes the wonderful synthesis of form and matter. Her abstractions, while populating the central axis of the field of vision as total images, deploy post-Cubist collage with originality of thought and materiality. By bringing together repetitions of geometric and biomorphic forms, the painterly flatness is complemented by the collagraphic texture and three-dimensionality. Each work asserts their monumentality while maintaining a sense of intimacy, and calls forth particular places or experiences, while suggesting potential deep symbolic significance of sensation and memory.”
— Phong Bui, Guest Juror
ARTIST BIO
Sarah Amos originally from Australia lives in Vermont and maintains an active International and National exhibition schedule. Sarah left Australia after receiving a BFA in Printmaking from RMIT to attend the Tamarind Institute of Lithography in New Mexico where she became a certified Tamarind Master Printer in Lithography in 1992. An MFA from the University of Northern Vermont was received in 1988 while working as the Master Printer for the Vermont Studio Center Press from 1988 to 2008. She was also an Adjunct Professor at Dartmouth, Williams and Bennington Colleges where she teaches Printmaking and Drawing since 2007.
Selected Solo and Group exhibitions include: Patricia Sweetow Gallery San Francisco and Los Angeles 2021, 2022 , 2023, CUE
Art Foundation NY (2019), BCA,Vermont,(2019), Huntington Museum, WV (2019), ICA San Jose (2018),Flinders Lane
Gallery,Australia (2017),Cynthia Reeves Projects Mass MOCA Massachusetts (2015),Fischer Museum USC,Los Angeles,CA,
(2012) Penn State University (2011) Monash University, Australia (2011), Gebert Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM (2010)
La Trobe University, Australia( 2009), Rutgers University ,New Jersey (2009),Victorian College of The Arts Australia (2007)
,Gallery 101, Australia (2007) Reeves Contemporary ,New York (2007) Weatherspoon Museum ,North Carolina, (2006 )
Louisiana Technical University( 2003), The Brattleboro Museum, Brattleboro, VT (2003) The Robert Hull Flemming Museum,
Burlington, VT(2003),The University of Minneapolis, Minnesota,(2001),The University of Hawaii (2001),The University of Maine
(2001)The Amos Eno Gallery, NY (1998) and the University of New Mexico (1992)
Sarah has been awarded various grants and fellowships including The Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant in 2014 ,Artist in residence award from The Joan Mitchell Foundation New Orleans 2020, The Walter Gropius Master Artist Series, Huntington Museum West Virginia , 2019 Santa Fe Arts Institute, 2006 , Ballinglen Arts Foundation Ireland , 2001 and Kaus Australis in Rotterdam, Holland 2002. Sarah Amos’s work is part of the following public and private collections.The Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, NH , V.R.C, Flemmington, Melbourne, Australia ,La Trobe University Museum, Melbourne, Australia, Vick Corporate Art, New York, NYTime Warner, Permanent Collection, New York, NYAlliance Capitol, New York, NY, The Katonah Museum, Katonah, NY Dartmouth - Hitchcock, Permanent Collection, NH ,The Robert Hull Fleming Museum, Burlington, VT.
ARTIST STATEMENT
These large-scale stitched works depict organic figures and totemic forms, serving as a canvas for fantastical aesthetic exploration, allegorical commentary, and charades. Within them, I've cultivated a personal lore that delves into my sense of ceremony and tradition.
As a non-conventional artist print maker, I continually challenge and redefine traditional notions of printmaking, both physically and intellectually. My affinity for paper, with its organic texture, luminosity, and rich history, has always beenprofound. Print makers, known for their material curiosity, constantly seek to expand their artistic vocabulary and push the boundaries of surfaces. After extensive experimentation with various materials, I gravitated towards felt for its inherent richness, tactility, and intimate qualities, seeking a durable aesthetic that encourages contemplation and depth. Using thread as a metaphorical web, I intertwine the realms of printing and drawing, aiming to create works that reflect meticulous attention to detail, materiality, and the passage of time. Through the integration of collagraph printmaking technique on acrylic felt, I establish a foundation upon which I layer free-form stitching, incorporating linear and organic patterns using bamboo thread and subtle color shifts. These techniques culminate in visually dynamic, three-dimensional compositions where sewing, stitching, appliqué, cutting, and printmaking converge.
Pattern plays a central role in my work, guiding visual movement and reflecting my affinity for repetition and historical stitching practices. While I draw inspiration from diverse sources such as Persian carpets, and the Gees Bend quilt makers of Alabama, my creative trajectory also draws from a broader spectrum, including influences from Japanese Kabuki Theater, Sashiko stitching and Hokusai's prints.
In essence, my current body of work represents a synthesis of contemporary and historical techniques, infused with a global array of cultural influences, resulting in intricately layered compositions that invite viewers to engage in a journey of visual discovery and cultural exploration.