Today, I’m thrilled to bring you the lovely, nostalgic art by painter Mary Sauer. Though she does really exceptional portraits, it is her paintings of tatty, shabby-chic interiors and storefronts that I can’t get out of my head. They are even appearing in my dreams. It’s like I’m being haunted.

When I went hunting for details about Sauer, I was gobsmacked to learn she’s only in her early 30s. How on Earth did someone so young conjure up images that are so deeply nostalgic? I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they had been painted in the 1930s, but these are contemporary paintings by a young person? Mind blown.

I was even more impressed when I learned that Sauer’s exploration of slightly down-at-heel images is a response to the engineered perfection of social media.

“I am interested in the pressure of perfection that we face in today’s social structure. In our current society, we often allow social media to control the expectations of the path our lives should lead. This can lead to a false public identity that is more about display than actual interaction, while hiding one’s true self. I hope to call attention to these new social norms that are impeding our mental ability to reach out to others and allow us to accept both our beauty and imperfections.”

-Mary Sauer Artist Statement

You can follow the old soul Mary Sauer on her website and on Instagram. (Her work-in-progress pictures on Instagram are particularly fascinating!)

View this post on Instagram

Here’s the full image of the sweet shop commission. The sweet shop was an imagined space and I love how it turned out. #art #painting #composition #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryrealism #portrait #commission #marysauer

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jul 13, 2018 at 12:24pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Full-sized painting of the Italian bathroom interior, 30×30”. I got word that this and all my other pieces made it Boston, safe and sound. I’m excited to be heading there in the morning! Also don’t forget to bid on the 12×12” kitchen painting right now! See previous post for how. #art #allaprima #painting #interior #interiordesign #bathroom #light #tiles #reflection #historic #vintage #instagood #instaart #marysauer #arts_help #artsgate #creative_uprising

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Nov 8, 2017 at 10:38am PST

View this post on Instagram

Here’s the full image of “Anna with Dishes” photographed in natural indirect light the way it was painted. #art #painting #portrait #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #whites #contemporarypainting #marysauer

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Aug 11, 2018 at 12:26pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Another piece for my upcoming #soloshow called #remnants @meyergallery coming July 27. #art #painting #antiques #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryrealism

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jul 8, 2018 at 1:40pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Sorry for the glare, but here's a ghost town kitchen interior that I painted a little over a year ago. #art #painting #interior #ghosttown #antiques #marysauer #marysauerart #

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jan 31, 2017 at 11:15am PST

View this post on Instagram

Finally got this full-sized painting done for my show in Boston @sloanemerrillgallery in a couple of weeks! 30×30" #evasbakery #icecream #art #painting #vintage #figurativeart #contemporaryart #contemporaryrealism #contemporarypainting #instagood #instaart #shopsmall #bakery #arts_help #arts_gallery #artshelp #drawinganatomyandart #arts_gate #creative_uprising #blueandgold #marysauer #marysauerart

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Oct 20, 2017 at 11:41am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Here’s the full image of my bedroom interior painting. Plus a couple of Blythe’s newborn photos. 😍 can’t believe my #soloshow opens in one week! #mamapainter #interiors #painting #art #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryrealism #marysauer

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jul 20, 2018 at 11:16am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Thought today was the perfect throwback day for my painting, "Washtub" after what I found set up in Scarlett's doll kitchen. #painting #shenanigans #play #toddlers #art

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jan 18, 2019 at 2:00pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Super excited that my show #Remnants opens tonight @meyergallery in #parkcityutah. Come see “The Chocolate Shop” and nearly two dozen other new pieces. See you there! #art #soloshow #newpaintings #painting #contemporaryart #contemporaryrealism #contemporarypainting #marysauer

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jul 27, 2018 at 10:45am PDT

View this post on Instagram

New painting on its way to @collinsgalleries. 8×10” for the Small Works Show #art #painting #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #contemporaryrealism #oldhouse #victorian #pinkhouse

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Nov 21, 2018 at 12:14pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Here is the full painting of the Parisian bathroom 12×12" #art #painting #detail #bathroom #interiordesign #interiors #thickpaint #texture #paris #contemporaryart #contemporaryrealism #contemporarypainting #marysauer #marysauerart #arts_help #artsgate

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Jul 29, 2017 at 11:05am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Here is a little 8"X10" Parisian street scene. This was a corner I happened upon while hiking up to the Sacré-Cœur at dusk. #paris #painting #oilpainting #streetscape #streetscene #art #contemporaryart #landscape #contemporaryrealism

A post shared by Mary Sauer (@marysauerart) on Nov 3, 2018 at 2:20pm PDT