Sarah J Clark

I have always had a drawing implement in my hand. No piece of paper has ever been safe from my doodling on it.

Since 1981, Sarah’s professional career had been as a Graphic Designer, creating logos and materials for commercial clients. One day in 2010 she woke up and asked herself "what's next?" and the answer was... "take a sabbatical."

In May 2010, she started on a journey of a three-month sabbatical, which changed her life in ways she never saw coming. I started to focus on art that I could create with my hands. This is what I was missing in the commercial graphic design side of my work/life. I also wanted to go deeper into the drawing and creating of mandalas, a practice I had started in 2005, shortly after arriving in Nanaimo.

The mandala, or "sacred circle," is an endless place of exploration. Both the drawing of them and the creating of the complex backgrounds they are on. Sarah uses metallic paints and inks which add to the lusciousness and mystical appearance of these pieces. They are created to bring more calm and peace into the world, and we definitely need more of that!

Living on Vancouver Island has instilled in me the importance of the present moment: To observe what is right in front of me. Being here inspires me to explore, experiment, and keep my sense of wonder fully engaged.