When Sarah Allred isn’t tending her garden, chances are she’s probably painting it. Regardless of medium or material—whether it’s watercolors on cotton or acrylic on wood—the subject matter of Allred’s art is usually plant life.
“As a longtime gardener and amateur botanist, plants are often the focus of my work,” the Lompoc-based painter told the Sun.
Allred is currently the featured artist at Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc, where guests can find many of her plant-themed pieces on display. An artist reception takes place on Saturday, June 22, and her paintings will remain up and available for sale through the end of July.
“The artwork displayed at the tasting room is a reflection of my love of the plant world,” Allred said. “These paintings are a meditation on wilderness and structure, and the magic and tenacity of life—both plant and human.”
The show’s featured pieces range from large, loose garden scenes to intimate, delicately rendered botanical studies. Her works have previously been displayed at venues such as the Lompoc Wine Factory and South Side Coffee Company, as well as during events including Lompoc’s First Thursday Art Nights.
While her subject matter has remained a constant for the most part, Allred has enjoyed dipping her toes into various media over the past four years. She first experimented with watercolors in 2015. Although she later became passionate about the medium, Allred was initially drawn to watercolors for practical benefits.
“To be completely honest, at an introductory level, watercolors are very inexpensive. I started using watercolors mostly for this reason—and the fact that they’re very easy to clean up,” Allred said.
“I picked up some cheap watercolors because I just wanted to play around with them,” she continued. “But once I started to use them more, and started using better quality paints and papers, I really fell in love with the nuance and delicacy of the medium.”
Using watercolors, Allred has painted intricate, detailed studies of magnolias, gardenias, peonies, begonias, tiger lilies, cherry blossoms, and other flower varieties. As time progressed, the artist expanded her scope to include linoleum block printing, inks, chalk, and acrylic paints.
“Sometimes you want to paint a chair or something, and you need a different tool for that,” Allred said. “Watercolors are sort of finicky and do best on specific 100 percent cotton watercolor sheets. I started using acrylic paints when I wanted to paint on other surfaces.
“I also started using other media for the fun and variety of it,” she added. “I like to play around and explore new textures and techniques.”
Aside from using acrylic paints to complete her vibrant garden scenes, Allred has used the medium to experiment on various wooden surfaces over the years. One of her most recent projects was a hand-painted skateboard. The board itself was also handmade, constructed from old wine barrels by a friend. Allred is currently working on a succulent design for her next board project.
Although the botanical theme shared among her works is apparent, Allred usually prefers not to discuss the specific intentions behind her art, she explained.
“It’s not always easy for me to talk about my art, or explain it. I think a large function of art is to communicate the things that we don’t have precise words for,” Allred said. “So overexplaining or dissecting it too much can defeat that purpose for me. I don’t want to limit anyone else’s understanding or enjoyment of an art piece by telling them what to look for.
“One of the beautiful things about any form of art is that different people have different takes, and those are all valuable perspectives,” Allred added. “I once sold a painting that someone decided to hang upside down—or opposite of how I created it—and I loved that.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wants a hand-painted skateboard. Send information to cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jun 20-27, 2019.