Every life is in itself a story. Every person not only has their spot on the timeline of history but, they have been defined more or less by the circumstances and people who have surrounded them and prepared them for the distance they will span and the mark they will leave on that timeline. Sarah is a person who has no formal art training but, because of the wonderful people who allowed her the freedom to draw and paint (on the walls irregardless of resale value), took her to museums and folk festivals introducing her to amazing artisans at an early age (thank you Grandparents), and let her help sell her Mother's handiwork at arts and crafts shows, she grew with an intense appreciation for art. Experience was her teacher and her Grandmother's home with rooms dedicated to one artform or another, her classroom. 

She was the child who would strip the plastic off of copper wiring only to pound the copper with rocks into coiled bracelets, she was the child who thought everything needed a little glitter and a few stickers, and she was the child who saw a blank wall as an untouched canvas begging to be freed of it's starkness. It was almost as if fate had already decided that art would be a part of her life. Her fascination with paper and ink probably began shortly after she could pick up a pencil and draw. She is a self-taught calligrapher, muralist, watercolorist, faux finisher, mixed media collage junkie, stamper, scrapper and admirer of old quilts. Having always been intrigued by history and people in general, she enjoyed learning many traditional artforms as a young student from her grandparents and by exploring the treasures in their antique shop. 

Sarah had always been the "crafty/artsy" one in the family who enjoyed altering various objects (before it was labeled "cool and trendy" to do so.) and making special invitations and gifts to mark significant events. Only her family and friends saw her handiwork then. Shortly after her first son was born, Sarah retired from the financial industry to raise her children. A funny thing happened.... She quickly realized that museums and field trips actually cost money, money that was not readily available in the new budget now that she was out of the "work force". She realized rather quickly that she would have to figure out a way to earn spending money from home. The suggestion was made to sell some of her cards and framed pieces in local craft shows. For the first time, people outside of her circle of friends and family (those obligated to say they like your work) started paying money for her art. As time went by, Sarah was honored to be juried into more selective Fine Art Shows and had her work in local galleries and commissioned by businesses and private patrons.

It wasn't until Sarah discovered the rubber stamp that her business really took off. Being a jack of all trade kind of artist does have it's perks but, when you can use someone else's art and create something new and exciting from it, something magical happens. You do not have to have any talent really to stamp yet, the stamp and the ink enable one to become artists whether they have the "talent" or not (Sarah believe every person is an artist- even if they do not think so). Rubber stamps are the great equalizer. Sarah had always had the dream of teaching. The rubber stamp, that tiny (and sometimes large) piece of vulcanized rubber, was the doorway for Sarah to really expand her passion; it gave her the opportunity to share what she has learned from literally a lifetime of experimenting with the various mediums and inks and papers (she is addicted to paper) with others (the real story is that secretly she wanted to create a legion of people who shared in her rubber stamp/ crafting/ paper addiction in order to convince her husband that she wasn't the only one like this in the world). Sarah started teaching in a handful of local stores and during this time had her work published in a number of nationally circulated stamping magazines.

Today, thousands of Sarah's cards have been sent all over the world, commissioned art pieces are hanging in prominent places in both homes and businesses, her work and articles have been featured on the covers as well as within the pages of stamping and art magazines, catalogs, upcoming books, and even her own work has been rendered into rubber stamps for others to use. She is incredibly humbled by that fact that people continue to support her and her family by investing in her work. There is something so special and so touching when someone chooses to invest in your life. Art is like a giant "Pay It Forward" in that the people who have supported you and enriched your life find their way into the pieces you create; be it in the subject material or perhaps the colors and composition or simply because that person is the intended recipient. Their investment is manifested in a tangible way and brings amazing color and creativity to this world for others to enjoy and derive inspiration from.

To answer the question Sarah Who? Sarah is a wife, a mother, a teacher, a student, a daughter, a grand daughter, a sister, an artist, and grateful for the amazing blessings she has been given and the opportunity to share them. 

Thank you.