sarah.marie.burgess

i am so so so excited!  something i’ve been wanting to do on this blog for a long time is interviews and profiles on people that inspire me (artists, bloggers, writers, etc.)

i thought my dear friend sarah would be perfect for the first one! i hope you guys enjoy the post and i hope many more are soon to come.

i had the pleasure of getting to know sarah while i was studying abroad in france, and i loved watching her and her art grow.  i think she’s a beautiful artist and person and i hope she’ll inspire you just as much as she’s inspired me.

-Tell us about yourself and your art.

Dear Mixtapes and Cupcakes,

I first want to thank you Lindsay for making me feel special. I am glad my art has stirred a cord in your heart.

…My name is Sarah Marie Burgess. I am native to Southeastern Virginia and attended the Savannah College of Art and Design where I received my BFA in illustration. Illustration is art made for print. This can include anything from books to cd covers to t-shirt designs. Illustration is a broad field but the beauty of it, is that it can tell a story.

My favorite piece of art (at present) is a piece entitled, Infatuation. The concept involves two characters, a bat and a vampire. The illustration is a snapshot of the moment they first set eyes on each other. Love is blind.

-How did you get started in illustration?

I suppose I stumbled into Illustration by accident. I attended the Norfolk Governor’s School for the Arts in high school; there I participated in numerous mediums including lithography, screenprinting and oil. At the end of the day though, I never thought I was good enough to go to college for art (in fact I still have that problem). I applied to SCAD last minute. My plan was to attend William and Mary or UVA for anthropology. Who knew?

At SCAD I found my niche, the Illustration department. I was never someone who liked to paint still-lifes or paint non-objectively. Concept and story are important to my vision; I found a home among the walls of Morris Hall.

-What mediums do you use and prefer the most?

At a young age I found comfort in crayons and markers. My 4th grade art teacher, Mrs. Britt, introduced me to watercolors. The assignment was to paint ambiguous lines and shapes. The next step was to find something within the painting and develop it… I saw tulips… Since then, I have perfected the medium. I am delicate and precise when it comes to watercolor. Sometimes I wish I could just be messy… but my heart wont give in. Many people have asked me how I keep control over my watercolor technique… “it just feels natural”.

Watercolor is my preferred medium, however I am falling in love with many acrylic techniques due to Professor Don Rogers. I am currently trying to find a happy place in-between. Take for instance my promo card cover entitled, Midnight Snack. The underpainting is acrylic with a layer of watercolor on top. At this point I do a subtractive technique by removing some of the watercolor layer to create form. My mom loves this piece.

-What inspires your art?

Inspiration was hard to come by before my Junior year at SCAD. To be honest, I hated myself and my art before a wonderful sequence of events that happened the summer of 2008. At the very end of my sophomore year (the LAST week) I fell in love and with a gust of wind I was carried off to Lacoste, France. France was a plethora of inspiration. I lived a fairy tale for the summer and thus found inspiration all around me: lavender, the Louvre, European fairy tales, history and mythology and vino. After France my work seemed to have a purpose and focus; I experienced a rebirth.

Europe does not hold all the credit for my inspiration. Growing up on a farm surrounded by nature holds a dear place in my heart. Anthropomorphic animals are frequent subjects. My imagination goes into overdrive when I read books on culture and mythology. And literature… don’t get me started. I am a nerd at heart: Shakespeare, Keats, Tolkien, T.H. White, etc.

-Who inspires you?

I met some of the worlds most beautiful people in Savannah and France (including YOU Lindsay). Professor Julie Lieberman pushed me to find beauty within me and my art. Professor Danawi was also there to push me along and make me see what potential I had and how to channel my concepts. And then there is Danielle. Danielle Feliciano is the one that I am always competing with… we work so well together. I miss her presence.

There are a few artist that I am absolutely infatuated with… Lisbeth Zwerger, Mary Grandpre and Rebecca Dautremer. All are amazing character designers and have a wonderful eye for color and concept. I bow down to them… when I grow up… haha

-Where would you like to see yourself and your art end up?

Being away from SCAD makes it hard for me to function. I honestly love being in school, I love the critiques and the friendly competition. I am nearly $60,000 in debt due to college loans… DEPRESSING… but I do feel prepared for the illustration market. My focus has been narrowed down to cover art/book illustration for children and young adults. I would love to one day walk into Barnes and Noble and see a cover of mine on the shelf. Grad school is also in my future (after I get some experience in the market). With a MFA I can one day teach college level illustration so I can give back and inspire others. Where I will live… well that is a complete mystery.

-What tips could you give a new-comer on illustration?

The best advice I can give ANYONE at SCAD is to get to know your professors. They are already connected and have experience… they can offer advice and guidance on life, art and even love. But take it with a grain of salt… everyone has there own destiny.

–end of interview–

sarah, thank you so much for giving such a beautiful in-look into your art and yourself as an artist.  (and i can not wait to see you next week!!!!!)  please check out sarah’s website here and her blog here, where she adds her newest pieces!  i can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

xoxo.lindsay

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