
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!)
May 6, 2019 at 7:00 am
Oh my goodness…She has it all together. The detail is just wonderful .
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May 6, 2019 at 7:15 am
And she makes it feel so warm and inviting. A true talent!
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May 6, 2019 at 4:06 pm
Fantastic paintings. I totally would have pegged them as being vintage – interwar specifically – so I was surprised to read that they were contemporary pieces.
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May 6, 2019 at 4:53 pm
I have fallen deeply in love with them! They really do feel like they’re from the thirties or forties.
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May 9, 2019 at 5:36 pm
Reblogged this on sketchuniverse and commented:
HELLO DARLINGS! I WANT INTRODUCE YOU MARY. HER ART IS PURE DELIGHT. ENJOY IT!
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May 9, 2019 at 7:12 pm
It got my vote. Wonderful art. Hal (I have finished moving to a new house) Catching up
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May 10, 2019 at 6:14 am
Congrats on the move! That’s a lot of work. Hope you get a chance to relax now.
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