Show title: Naked Heartrace
Sarah James
Artist’s Statement
I have been drawing pictures since I could pick up a crayon, and have been doodling my entire life. Artists such as Jim Henson, William Steig, and Pablo Picasso have always inspired me to draw from the heart, not from the brain.
In 2010 I began drawing prints to sell, and have opened a shop on Etsy.com
I believe in art as craft and the melding of vernacular form and modern technology.
Sarah Bartlett
Writer’s Statement
I began writing poetry in the 3rd grade, and I haven’t been able to stop. My poems are visceral, surreal, and strongly imagistic. They are sharp. They want to get at you. I tend to write in series — I like more time and space to explore whatever theme is entrancing me.
Our Vision
Together, Sarah & Sarah plan to combine poetry and visual art using techniques such as letterpress, collage, printed media, and book arts.
The content of the show will be from Sarah Bartlett’s new manuscript “Secretly I Use Your Toothbrush" and will feature newly crafted art by Sarah James, created purposefully to reflect the poem’s content.
Our goal is to show the beauty of words and art while capturing the everyday person’s aesthetic. We are pushing modern form with the craft vernacular, creating a show that will inspire and illuminate our viewing audience.
Brief Bios
Sarah Bartlett lives in Portland, OR. She is the author of two collaborative chapbooks: Baby On The Safe Side (Publishing Genius 2011) and A Mule-Shaped Cloud (horse less press 2008). Her recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in inter|rupture, Jellyfish, Filter, New Delta Review, NOÖ, Burnside Review, Raleigh Quarterly, Sixth Finch, and elsewhere.
Sarah James is a graduate of the Art Institute of Portland with a BFA in Design Studies and Graphic Design. When not working part time as an assistant print production coordinator at Wieden+Kennedy, Sarah can be found in the letterpress room of the IPRC (Independent Publishers Resource Center) or in her home studio (where the neighborhood cats drop in to say hi). She enjoys well-crafted beer, long walks on the beach, and 10-pin bowling.
