Sarah Z. Short
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I am a mixed media abstract collage artist who works primarily with vintage materials. I love the ragged edges of a worn book cover and the marks that time and readers leave on the pages. I’m opening drawers at estate sales and looking on the bottom shelves in the basement for the forgotten scraps of paper that no one else wants.
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My compositions result from how my materials respond to being salvaged and repurposed. The paper tears, bleeds, or wrinkles and I have to decide if I want to leave it or cover it over with something else. I add typography to my compositions using letterpress printing. The vintage wooden type fonts add bold design elements once I abstract them within the composition.
My pieces are about creating a new narrative for these materials that would otherwise end up in the trash. I want what was once beautiful to be beautiful again as I reimagine the discarded and overlooked through my collages. My works urge you to lean in to see the small details and remember your past.
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InterActions | Houseguests 2021 | SPELLBIND | The Weight of Untold Tales | House Guests 2019 / 2020
Arcade Game, 16"x 16", mixed media on cradled panel
Be Glad, 12"x 2"x 1.5", mixed media on cradled panel
Commission House, 8"x 10", mixed media on paper
Dedication, 7"x 5", paper on cradled panel
Harper, 8"x 10", mixed media on paper
I Can Not Lose, 9"x 12", paper on cradled panel
Into the Light, 12"x 16", mixed media on cradled panel
Life, 8"x 10", mixed media on paper
Magic is Funny, 12"x16", paper on cradled panel
Meeting Street, 24"x 24", mixed media on cradled panel
Meteor, 5"x 7", mixed media on paper
Patches, 18"x 30", mixed media on cradled panel
Prologue, 8"x 10", mixed media on paper
Six, 12"x 16", mixed media on cradled panel
Sorbet, 7"x 5", mixed media on paper
Stitched and Lettered, 7"x 5", mixed media on paper
Sweetly at Home, 7"x 5", paper on cradled panel
The First Book, 12"x16", mixed media on cradled panel
The Return, 7"x 5", paper on cradled panel
There's More, 12"x 12", mixed media on cradled panel
Ukrainia, 7"x 5", paper on cradled panel
Waiting Patiently for Me, 12"x12", paper on cradled panel