Written by: Mary Kate Conner

In an effort to become familiar with the many facets of the creative community at GC, the Art-to-Art column was born. My goal is to sit down with as many creators as possible to showcase their passion and ability, and to inspire art in all its forms amongst my fellow Bobcats. So grab a chai tea, burn some sage and settle into your pouf because this is something you are going to want to savor.

The charmingly rugged walls of Blackbird Coffee have been host to many a collection of local art. Most recently, the floral graphic designs of senior studio art major Sarah Finch are adding pops of color to the brick and beige. To get there, however, the budding artist had to fight her way to the conception of the project.

In the face of a two month independent study, Finch found herself in the midst of an artistic dry period. For several weeks she focused solely on quantity, cranking out multiple graphic design pieces of different moods and styles. She settled on a minimalistic approach, breaking away from her usually busy and colorful style.

“I just started making stuff, looking at it, taking what I wanted, and leaving the rest and going from there,” said Finch. “I had merged my busy nature with this minimalist idea.”

The collection features a mix of floral patterns, images of nature, women’s portraits and even microscope photos of cells. Finch said she draws a lot of her inspiration from organic, textural elements such as these. “I also love adding aspects of mystery and strangeness to my work,” said Finch, “because it kind of makes you give a double take and think about it more.”

One piece, for example, features a woman’s silhouette with a flower bud for a face and wings on her back. Including feminine features like this was a key aspect in Finch’s most recent collection. “Women are just so mysterious,” she said. “Even just having a picture of a woman who, you don’t really know how she’s feeling, but being able to add these different textures to her all of sudden creates this kind of mood about her.”

By creating these unique figures of women, Finch did more than just explore a new aspect of her ability as an artist. “I did find, in reflecting on this study, that they seem to almost be an idealized version of different aspects of my personality,” said Finch. “Just being able to make this art helped me be able to process who I want to be.” She deliberately avoided writing an artist’s statement for the collection, as she wanted her viewers to have an experience similar to hers.

“I wanted to make sure they could experience the art for themselves and kind of get the meaning they wanted to out of it,” said Finch. “I really love allowing people to have that emotional connection or disconnect with the art. That’s really important for me.”