I felt destined to be an artist from the moment I began painting at my mother's easel as a child. She was an artist and clothing designer for Vogue. We summered on Orr's Island, where my Dad's family lived. And, it was there that I developed a strong sense of Maine coast life, so it was only natural that I would later combine that with my love of art.

I studied art at Pratt Institute in New York and the University of Vermont. I then worked professionally as a commercial artist and art director for ten years, and began taking painting workshops with artists Tony Couch, David Curtis & Skip Lawrence. In 1997 I took up painting full-time, and began exhibiting & selling my paintings and prints at summer art shows throughout Maine & New England, where I won numerous awards. Then, in 2006 my husband, Tom completed building a beautiful studio/gallery space next to our home & we opened the Sarah Greenier Gallery in Bath.

My art is always evolving, and I find that I’m refining and simplifying my subject matter all the time. I started out painting in watercolor for the first ten years, then switched to oils, which allowed for a more expressive and workable style of painting. I’d always enjoyed painting Maine coastal scenes, but after 9/11, I began adding a little more Americana to my work. I painted primarily in the studio, and then a few summers ago I started plein air painting with the PAPME group of artists in Boothbay Harbor. My husband also loved outdoor painting, so we began painting outside together. Last summer, we took an extended painting trip to Stonington, and we have spent many weeks over the years painting on Monhegan. There are many locations we revisit from year to year, many within an hour’s drive. Painting outdoors is exhilarating, and that feeling is expressed in your work. "A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art. Emotion is the starting point, the beginning and the end. Draftsmanship and technique are in the middle." Paul Cezanne

Today, I begin by painting a small study of each scene on location. I will later take that along with reference photos, to complete a larger painting in my studio. I only paint pieces that have special meaning to me. It may be quintessential “Maine”, or the lighting, or the mood. Lately I love painting houses and gardens, because I am a gardener and I love old New England architecture. The feeling I have painting on location is always with me - the smells, sights and sounds, and I can conjure them up in an instant later on in my studio.

I just try to go with the flow with my art, as with life – and what works best in each season. Winter is best suited to studio work, and summer is the time to get out and enjoy Maine’s abundant natural beauty. I find great peace in nature & feel blessed to live in Maine and get to do what I love…

The Sarah Greenier Gallery is open by appointment and by chance. Please call (207) 443-3936 to set up a time to stop by, or you can take a chance that I may be painting in the gallery, or nearby – so just give me a call, thanks

Sarah

HOME

NEW
PAINTINGS

OIL
PAINTINGS

WATERCOLOR
PAINTINGS

GALLERY &
SCHEDULE

LINKS