Spotlight Artist

Sarah Martin-Nuss

MFA Annual
Artist profile photo

From the Origin

Abstract painting with swirling blue and dark clouds above a peach and pink textured landscape.

oil and pastel on linen

Scattered to Water, Scattered to Wind

Abstract painting with soft pink, peach, and blue swirling patterns and a dark cloud at the top.

oil, pastel, and oil pastel on canvas

One Moment Breathing

Abstract blue and green swirls resembling an underwater scene

oil, pastel, and oil pastel on canvas

Featured in New American Paintings1 / 3

Artist Statement

 My paintings draw inspiration from biological systems, post-humanist thought, and the intricate web of ecological relationships. These elements converge within a style of painting I call “transfigurative,” which embraces the constant coevolution of the body with other forms of life, environment, and technology. I create orchestrations of color, line, and space that evoke a sense of exchange, activation, and transformation. Scratching directly into the paint to create a dynamic visual effect that responds to even the subtlest of changes in light, my paintings have a layered, tactile quality. My compositions obscure the typical figure/ground relationship and resist easy categorization as landscapes, figurative representations, or pure abstractions. Metamorphosis, growth, and decay happen simultaneously, suggesting that various temporal states—past, present, and future—can coexist within a single visual field.

Oscillating between macro and micro, my work merges imagery associated with biological systems and celestial phenomena to create visual narratives that explore a realm where the boundaries between the microcosm of biological entities and the vastness of cosmic bodies blur, inviting contemplation on the shared threads of existence across scales.

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