about SARAH
I like to say,“Celebrate everything!”, and that even applies to my work as an artist. My paintings are a celebration of creation, a symbol of gratitude for all the beauty and wonder of the earth and sky. I aim to shine a light on the color of life.
My newest book, Looking Up (2022), is a compilation of this artistic celebration. More than an art book, Looking Up aims to inspire gratitude and provide perspective through the many seasons of life— from the depths of grief to the peaks of joy and all the others in between.
In 2023 I am painting a series of dreamy waterscapes and cloud cover which I call the Dream Catching series. This work takes the concepts from my last two series (Looking Up and Getting High) and takes off even higher. The Dream Catching paintings discuss the significance of dreams and the desires of the heart. What even is a dream, and what do we do with it? Where do dreams come from, and why is it essential to catch a dream?… wild as it may be. What if we have forgotten to dream? How then do we begin again? What if it has been years since we were given that permission? And why did we lose it in the first place? Where do dreams live? And where will they take us? Each painting explores this sky of questions, and I am discovering the answers one painted cloud at a time.
In addition to painting and writing, I embrace opportunities to step out into communities to read from Looking Up and speak to small groups as well as larger crowds about my art career, my inspirations, and most of all, to share words of encouragement. Most recently, I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the “Celebrate Life” fundraiser benefiting the Infirmary Foundation in Mobile. I have also greatly enjoyed visiting elementary schools to read from my children’s book To Be A Line .
(Please contact us to inquire about a speaking opportunity.)
1989
And when did this all begin? Well, I have no idea… because for as longs I can remember, I have enjoyed making stuff. As a teenager, I began selling my paintings, and to this day making art has been my only job. In 2007, I graduated from Ole Miss with a Fine Arts degree (BFA) with an emphasis in painting. That year I moved back to my hometown, Mobile, AL, and rented a studio where I began working as a full time painter. I spent the next twelve years focused primarily on painting all the while doing a great deal of writing to dig into the concepts of my abstract art. In 2019, I wrote To Be a Line, a children’s book about courage, purpose and trust. In August of 2019 I opened Sarah Otts Gallery in Mobile; a home to my many creative endeavors including my “Be a Bright Spot” campaign to further inspire others. Now, after my venture in retail, I have relocated my offices and studio to The Garden, my painting studio, where we invite visitors to make an appointment to visit us and step right into the process.
Back at home, my husband Robert and I have three young children, Lelia, Sonny and “Fifi”. Through the throes of motherhood I have remained dedicated to my creative work. My attempt to “balance” these two worlds continuously inspires my art and my career choices.
about the PROCESS
I’ve been a dedicated painter for most of my life. While this is my job, art is also my retreat, my way of finding clarity. The quietness of creative work lets me discover that sense of spiritual wisdom and perspective. In a busy world full of agendas and pretenses, painting restores in me a sense of trust and peace and teaches me to lead a life of good purpose. My process has as much to do with a prayerful mindset as it does the materials with which I work. I prefer oil paint for its leniency and willingness to move and build with intentionality. (I quite like those characteristics in general I suppose!) I focus primarily on developing a comfortable balance within the painting’s composition. I devote a large amount of the composition to negative space; this creates an area for the eyes and heart to rest allowing the more active areas of the composition to have greater appreciation. Because, as we know, too much a good thing is not such a good thing—exhausting even. I want to create a painted retreat from the hustle— art that promotes peace and also creative courage in viewers. This is a tender balance; a teeter between two extremes; an elusive challenge and a rewarding achievement.
As I paint, the design elements and principles within my paintings have a way of communicating and addressing topics completely unrelated to paint itself. I write and share about these life epiphanies and understandings in my Instagram stories/posts and on my blog, Behind the Paint.
At the end of the day, I paint to get to the truth. Art is about inspiring us to see with honest eyes; to look up and notice beauty; to discover the wonder and artistry in our lives. I am a noticer by nature; I was born with noticing eyes. My vision permits me to see what many might miss. Through my work, I hope to inspire others to look up to gifts of creation and, for God’s sake, celebrate everything!
I write and share more about my process and concepts on my blog, Behind the Paint.
2019