the past tense of regret is indecision

Welcome to this week's Drive-by Interview with artist Sarah Buzzard!

What are you presently inspired by?

Presently, I'm inspired by my own life experiences as the subject of my paintings, but I also find inspiration from Japanese and American animation, pop culture and literature. I look to my favorite artists Audrey Kawasaki, Lois van Baarle, Elena Sai and Paul Apalkin for composition and execution ideas as well. Even mundane things like food can inspire me if I just know where to look for it.

What does creating art provide for you?

I experienced some significant emotional turmoil in 2015 and 2016. With no support group to help me through this trying time, I turned to art as my escapism. I've always found painting to be therapeutic, so I channeled my pain and loneliness into my work and created "Make It Holy," a piece you can see in Creatures Real and Imagined II! Art still acts as an outlet for my ideas and emotions, and I'm encouraged to continue creating when others can relate to it on a personal level.

Do you encounter misconceptions about being an artist?

Yes, I do, nearly every time I say I'm an artist. When I tell someone I'm an illustrator, to my frustration, 90% of the time this is followed by, "Oh, so do you, like, do children's books and stuff?" It takes too much energy for me to sit down and explain that illustration is so much more complex and diverse than just books. My work blurs the line between illustration and fine art, or the characteristics people typically use to define them. Especially while I was attending college, I experienced difficulty communicating between the illustration and fine art departments when my work didn't conform to their expectations. I love marrying these two contradicting realms of art into something I consider both narrative and aesthetically pleasing. I don't let the preconceived notions of what an illustrator should do stop me from creating the work I love.

Is there something you are currently working on, or are excited about starting?

My most recent piece inspired me to start a series of paintings based on various emotions, both positive and negative, and the animals in the Chinese zodiac, something that's always fascinated me. As a sister/companion piece to "Make It Holy", I'm planning a painting that deals with anxiety and the monkey. I hope to have it finished by the summer!

Words to live by...a favorite quote or motto? "The past tense of regret is indecision." - Cecil Baldwin, Welcome to Night Vale

About work featured in Creatures-real and imagined on exhibition thru March:

Make It Holy

$1000.

Oil on wood panel

"Feel no glory. Feel no pain."

The sacrificial lamb is a symbol of innocence and suffering for the greater good. As someone who struggled with depression, this metaphor manifested into my way of survival, and I aimed to capture how beautiful and broken I felt during this period.