SARAH BARNES

This exhibition features stylized, gestural paintings created in an expressive, continuous line style. I began using the motif of gestural figures in the fall of 2022, after getting multiple comments calling them "doodle people."

These have become a part of my subconscious individual expression since my youth where I would draw them on tables and in my notes.

At first, these gestural, distorted figures would be displayed peeking around corners or around edges, emphasizing negative space rather than the figures themselves. When first created, many asked questions about their meaning or who these figures represent. In truth, these

"doodles" are not based on people at all, but rather more about the process and the decorative marks made. I see these gestures being about ambiguous depictions that also hold a comical or melancholy gesture. Other aspects of my work that are equally important are the use of layering with a restrictive and controlled color palette together creating a sense of space and depth in these works.