Thomasville Center for the Arts

wall SPACE

Sarah Black Sadler | September 10 – November 30, 2021
Grassroots Coffee Co. | 118 S. Broad Street

Rooted in painting and quilting traditions, Sadler’s artmaking practice begins as a straightforward formal process concerning color, shape, and my intuitive relationship with the material. These works slip between figuration and abstraction while blending found and made materials. The interplay of material metaphorically illustrates a concept in psychotherapy called the Third.  According to this theory, when two (or more) people come together in a mutual act of recognition, they create a new third thing. A separate entity that is their relationship. Much like the Third, quilting has a powerful history of blending sundry materials into new entities. Quilting traditions also contain a long lineage of secret symbolism or encoded language. In her work, the figurative symbols are private. Though not always recognizable to the viewer, through her private narratives she tries to create a complex psychological presence examining group think, companionship, and the transitive power of gesture.