Sarah Pederson
Sarah Pederson’s current canvas series, “Survival,” uses elements of trompe l’oeil to bring viewers in to take a closer look at what is trying to survive, what the cost of survival might be, and to invoke empathy for those facing these struggles. For instance, one of her paintings shows a spider who carefully built a web on the back side of a painting, where it is unlikely to find food. Another shows the bottom tread of a shoe that ants have used as tunnels for their home while the peaceful millipede tries to escape an imminent death.
One of her more unsettling pieces is titled “Carassius auratus,” and portrays her son’s two pet goldfish, Zoomer and Suction Cup. When it came time to add more species to their aquarium, she became frustrated that people in pet stores and online forums kept referring to these pets as dirty fish. “Apparently they produce a lot of waste compared to other fish, but the connotation was such that I felt they were telling me I might as well just put our pets down the toilet where they’ll end up anyway,” she says.
One person told her this painting was disturbing, and another mentioned that it made them feel uncomfortable. Sarah’s response? “I took those as wonderful compliments because I could see they were empathizing with the fish and their situation” She hopes that when people study the various scenarios portrayed in her original canvas work, they relate to the struggles and stereotypes these animals are facing and take it a step further by relating it to what they may be facing in their own lives, as well as what many members of our society face every day as they are trying to survive.
Learn more at www.lucidpainting.com