Small Wonder Gallery: featuring the art of Edward Gordon, Carol Collette, Alan Magee and other local and national artists

Sarah Lynn Richard's paintings arise from the unique and spiritual path she has taken. Originally from California, Sarah grew up racing horses bareback on the beaches of the redwood coast. Her love of horses dates back her early childhood when she remembers climbing from a rock up onto the back of a neighbor's loose horse and spending the better part of the day there. Her family had a small farm in a rural valley and Sarah spent much time exploring the local forests and their wildlife. Sarah's father is an orthopedic surgeon and she credits him with instilling in her an investigative curiosity of all living things. She recalls the discussions which often involved comparative anatomy of the creatures she frequently brought home. "We used to talk about skeletal structure of frogs, snakes, horses, anything. Dad would point out the various relationships of bone, muscle and feather. It was an education steeped in wonder". Her paintings still begin with a consideration of the underlying structure of a subject.

Though grounded in an appreciation of nature's function, Sarah's work takes flight in the spirit of the creatures she paints. Horses especially seem to be a vehicle for her. Her work as a licensed psychotherapist has encouraged her to see her subjects as powerful symbols.

"I see in nature the balance, grace, power and humor that human beings can also embody. My work often draws the viewer into it, creating an interaction between them and the image. In my paintings I am trying to touch the essence of a creature, that certain something which we recognize in ourselves. My horses are about horses, but they are also about doing more with less, finding lightness, balance and power at the same time. My toads are about toads, but they are also about recognizing our own potential to be toad like."

Sarah credits her ongoing apprenticeship with her mother and watercolorist Lyn Snow as being a tremendous influence in her work. Lyn Snow, who is also self taught, gave Sarah the basics of watercolor technique. They still paint together and through shared ideas and technique they coach and support each other's learning process.

These foundations of structure, an education in psychotherapy and continuous experimentation have allowed Sarah to develop a style which is completely unique in the art world today. Her award winning work is sought after in galleries around the country and has graced the pages of numerous magazines and books. Her work has hung in the Kentucky Derby Museum and the Portland Museum of Art. It has been featured in US Art Magazine several times, in The Equine Image Magazine, and is currently the artistic theme for the new book release "Of Women and Horses" by best selling author GaWaNi Ponyboy.

Sarah currently works out of her home studio on the rugged coast of Maine.

Limited Edition Prints By Sarah Lynn Richards