Sara Wiens, BA, BEd
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Sara Wiens
Bio
Sara Wiens is an artist currently based in Salmon Arm who works in oil, acrylic and mixed media. She has her BA in Studio Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Education from UBC, Vancouver. She has shown her work at various galleries in her home province of British Columbia, including at The Ferry Building (West Vancouver), Place Des Arts (Coquitlam), Gallery Vertigo (Vernon), and the Salmon Arm Arts Centre. Sara has taught art for many years in the private and public school system. Her contributions to art in her community include a public mural project in the summer of 2020.
Artist Statement
Sara’s work is an exploration of light, colour, and movement inspired by her local environment. Each year she travels throughout the province of British Columbia, taking photographs and making sketches of various locations. Light coming through the leaves of trees, rocks at the water’s edge, and salmon swimming near the river’s surface are each from specific locations, but are abstracted to be ubiquitous. As the viewer is drawn into contemplation via the surface of the painting, larger themes emerge of conservation and appreciation for the created environment.
Working from photographs, sketches or even scientific graphs, Sara paints with layers that abstract the reference through mark making and rhythmic brushstrokes. Beginning with layers of drawing materials and acrylic paint, Sara’s work is repeatedly overlayed with marks and soft, vibrant colours, which may stand alone or be finished with lush oil paints. The final result is an energetic piece which conveys the vitality of the subject. The artist’s intention is to express both the wonder and meditative experience of nature and to engender a love of the natural world that cuts through the noise of data.
Growing up on the West Coast of Canada embedded the power and beauty of the ocean, mountains, and forest in Sara’s being. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Bachelor of Art Education from UBC Vancouver, Sara moved to the beautiful city of Salmon Arm in the North Shuswap. Since then she has shown her work in various small group and solo shows in galleries throughout the province. Sara’s work can be found in private collections throughout North America and in international publications. Her contributions to her community include many years teaching art at the Heartwood Learning Community and collaborating on public mural projects in 2020 and 2023. Sara is currently represented by Gallery Odin at Silverstar Mountain Resort, British Columbia.
Honeybee Flight Paths Statement:
Sara Wiens has based her mixed media paintings on the flight patterns of honeybees as they forage to and from their hives. Scientists affixed transmitters to the backs of honeybees to determine how they orient themselves in the landscape and what factors affect their homing abilities. These incredible creatures demonstrate exceptional abilities to learn and communicate. The lifespan of a single bee may be only 6 weeks in the summer, yet these tiny, fleeting insects have a profound impact on the ecosystem. The complexity of layered lines and colour patches in the artwork remind us that over time, the layers of different bee individuals overlap repeatedly to create an indispensable imprint on the survival of all species.
Curriculum Vitae
2022
The Pollinators Salmon Arm Arts Centre
In Dialogue with Vivian Lindoe Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2021
Piqw Salmon Arm Arts Centre
Postcards from the Edge Vernon Community Arts Centre
Art Garden Show Deep Creek, BC
Wildwood Flower Emporium Salmon Arm
2020
20/20 Open Members Show Salmon Arm Arts Centre
Mural with Adam Meikle, Wade Meikle Downtown Salmon Arm Art Loop
Wildwood Flower Emporium Salmon Arm
2019
A Seat at the Table Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2017
True North Juried Show Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2016
Trail Mix Salmon Arm Arts Centre and Shuswap Trail Alliance
2014
Paint the Town Salmon Arm Arts Centre
Paint the Festival Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2012
My Art My Son My Garden solo exhibition, Salmon Arm
2009
Harmony Arts Festival West Vancouver
2008
Shuswap Artists SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
In the Village, North Vancouver
Salmon Run & Throw Away series solo exhibitions Place des Arts, Coquitlam
2007
Mellow Yellow Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Paint the Town Shuswap Art Gallery Association, Salmon Arm
Two Figures SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
Celebration of Colour Old School House Centre, Qualicum
2006
Throw Away solo exhibition Favorite Things Gallery, New Westminster
Throw Away solo exhibition at the Station House Gallery, Williams Lake
Art Rush! Studio Tour Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Nucleus Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
2005
Right Here! Juried Exhibition Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Art Rush! Studio Tour Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Paint the Town Shuswap Art Gallery Association, Salmon Arm
Arts Around Shuswap Artist Studio Tour, Salmon Arm
2004
Marie Manson Memorial Arts Award recipient, Salmon Arm
New Work Solo show Kindred Spirits Coffee House, Salmon Arm
Gone Fishin’ SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
North Okanagan Open Juried Exhibition Vernon Public Art Gallery
Shuswap Artists SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
13 Degrees and Well Textured SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
2002
Construction Site Collection, Collection Productions, Vancouver
2001
GoGoGoSTOP Crystal Building, Burnaby
1995
“Fin de Siecle” Juried Grad Show Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver
Sara Wiens is an artist currently based in Salmon Arm who works in oil, acrylic and mixed media. She has her BA in Studio Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Education from UBC, Vancouver. She has shown her work at various galleries in her home province of British Columbia, including at The Ferry Building (West Vancouver), Place Des Arts (Coquitlam), Gallery Vertigo (Vernon), and the Salmon Arm Arts Centre. Sara has taught art for many years in the private and public school system. Her contributions to art in her community include a public mural project in the summer of 2020.
Artist Statement
Sara’s work is an exploration of light, colour, and movement inspired by her local environment. Each year she travels throughout the province of British Columbia, taking photographs and making sketches of various locations. Light coming through the leaves of trees, rocks at the water’s edge, and salmon swimming near the river’s surface are each from specific locations, but are abstracted to be ubiquitous. As the viewer is drawn into contemplation via the surface of the painting, larger themes emerge of conservation and appreciation for the created environment.
Working from photographs, sketches or even scientific graphs, Sara paints with layers that abstract the reference through mark making and rhythmic brushstrokes. Beginning with layers of drawing materials and acrylic paint, Sara’s work is repeatedly overlayed with marks and soft, vibrant colours, which may stand alone or be finished with lush oil paints. The final result is an energetic piece which conveys the vitality of the subject. The artist’s intention is to express both the wonder and meditative experience of nature and to engender a love of the natural world that cuts through the noise of data.
Growing up on the West Coast of Canada embedded the power and beauty of the ocean, mountains, and forest in Sara’s being. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Bachelor of Art Education from UBC Vancouver, Sara moved to the beautiful city of Salmon Arm in the North Shuswap. Since then she has shown her work in various small group and solo shows in galleries throughout the province. Sara’s work can be found in private collections throughout North America and in international publications. Her contributions to her community include many years teaching art at the Heartwood Learning Community and collaborating on public mural projects in 2020 and 2023. Sara is currently represented by Gallery Odin at Silverstar Mountain Resort, British Columbia.
Honeybee Flight Paths Statement:
Sara Wiens has based her mixed media paintings on the flight patterns of honeybees as they forage to and from their hives. Scientists affixed transmitters to the backs of honeybees to determine how they orient themselves in the landscape and what factors affect their homing abilities. These incredible creatures demonstrate exceptional abilities to learn and communicate. The lifespan of a single bee may be only 6 weeks in the summer, yet these tiny, fleeting insects have a profound impact on the ecosystem. The complexity of layered lines and colour patches in the artwork remind us that over time, the layers of different bee individuals overlap repeatedly to create an indispensable imprint on the survival of all species.
Curriculum Vitae
2022
The Pollinators Salmon Arm Arts Centre
In Dialogue with Vivian Lindoe Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2021
Piqw Salmon Arm Arts Centre
Postcards from the Edge Vernon Community Arts Centre
Art Garden Show Deep Creek, BC
Wildwood Flower Emporium Salmon Arm
2020
20/20 Open Members Show Salmon Arm Arts Centre
Mural with Adam Meikle, Wade Meikle Downtown Salmon Arm Art Loop
Wildwood Flower Emporium Salmon Arm
2019
A Seat at the Table Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2017
True North Juried Show Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2016
Trail Mix Salmon Arm Arts Centre and Shuswap Trail Alliance
2014
Paint the Town Salmon Arm Arts Centre
Paint the Festival Salmon Arm Arts Centre
2012
My Art My Son My Garden solo exhibition, Salmon Arm
2009
Harmony Arts Festival West Vancouver
2008
Shuswap Artists SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
In the Village, North Vancouver
Salmon Run & Throw Away series solo exhibitions Place des Arts, Coquitlam
2007
Mellow Yellow Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Paint the Town Shuswap Art Gallery Association, Salmon Arm
Two Figures SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
Celebration of Colour Old School House Centre, Qualicum
2006
Throw Away solo exhibition Favorite Things Gallery, New Westminster
Throw Away solo exhibition at the Station House Gallery, Williams Lake
Art Rush! Studio Tour Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Nucleus Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
2005
Right Here! Juried Exhibition Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Art Rush! Studio Tour Gallery Vertigo, Vernon
Paint the Town Shuswap Art Gallery Association, Salmon Arm
Arts Around Shuswap Artist Studio Tour, Salmon Arm
2004
Marie Manson Memorial Arts Award recipient, Salmon Arm
New Work Solo show Kindred Spirits Coffee House, Salmon Arm
Gone Fishin’ SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
North Okanagan Open Juried Exhibition Vernon Public Art Gallery
Shuswap Artists SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
13 Degrees and Well Textured SAGA Public Art Gallery, Salmon Arm
2002
Construction Site Collection, Collection Productions, Vancouver
2001
GoGoGoSTOP Crystal Building, Burnaby
1995
“Fin de Siecle” Juried Grad Show Ferry Building Gallery, West Vancouver