Sarah E. Boyle
Sarah E. Boyle is a Chicago-based painter who studied fashion, theatrical design, and illustration at Syracuse University and Ringling School of Art and Design before receiving her BFA in Painting and Drawing at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Boyle uses oil on canvas and panel to formally convey place through landscape and introspectively through location, symbol, void, and scale. Her work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Artnet News, My Modern Met, Office Space, Create! Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, Vanity Fair UK, The Third Coast Review, and New Visionary Magazine. She has exhibited at galleries and spaces in Tribeca, NYC, Chicago, IL, Indianapolis, and Carmel, IN. Boyle has been a resident of the Cornelia Arts Building (Chicago, IL) since 2015 and a directory artist with Visionary Art Collective since 2020.
Artist Statement
Place is a priority in my work—the detangling of random memories and the influence of what connects current events to a shared human experience. Through my paintings and drawings, I explore deeper themes via narrative, symbolism, and abstraction. It starts with my own collection of photographs, sketches, and experiences, repeatedly flipping through an archive of inconsequential moments while being hyper-aware that each location is influenced by subtle, familiar signals. From there, I explore color, texture, and detail to reimagine sights that are ingrained in my memory or others’. Working within these guidelines, I have developed collections around Night Windows, wildfires, gardens, mountainous landscapes, and escapist vistas. The body of work Los Angeles, September 2021, and the additional Night Windows replicate a place and time from the past remembered through a mid-century home in the Hollywood Hills, sunlight and shadows, and a smile from a friend. The Night Windows in this collection signal the intuitive repetition of the everyday that releases the unfolding of the reverie, much like a hypnotist uses their watch to induce a trance.
What initially sparked your interest in art?
I always loved drawing and creating, and I’ve been encouraged by my family and peers throughout my life to continue. I identified as an artist early on and always had a variety of projects in the works. I took many types of art classes as a kid and throughout high school, and some of my favorite trips were to Chicago to visit The School of the Art Institute, where I eventually earned my BFA.
What connects your work together and what keeps you creating?
My experiences are the foundation for my work—places I've been and people I've spent time with. I keep creating because I love challenging myself to get better at my craft, and when I start working on something, I usually discover what I'm trying to say in the process. It's never crystal clear upfront. I love the spark and magic that happens when making art.
Describe your work using three words.
Longing, intuitive, sublime.
What are you most proud of as an artist, whether it's a specific moment or who you are as an artist?
I had a great opportunity for my first group show in Tribeca this past year. It meant pushing past my biggest fears and self-constraints to make it possible, but it was extremely rewarding and worth the experience. It’s helped me see what's possible for my career in a completely new light.
If you could be in a two-person exhibition with any artist from history, who would it be and why?
Edward Hopper and Félix Vallotton.
