Sara Prentice is a self-taught artist who found her love of art at a young age.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had it in my bones, where I always have to be doing something creative,” she says.
As a kid, Prentice was always drawing; she was especially drawn to horses and would draw them over and over again. As she got older, she got more heavily involved with sports, and art ended up being put on the back burner.
After she graduated from college, Prentice began working for Dixon Ticonderoga in the Fine Art division, where she has now been for 15 years. Being surrounded by and working with all of the art supplies helped her to find that spark again, and she fell back in love with creating her own art.
Prentice has dabbled in many mediums. Her art journey began with graphite, but she found that she was naturally drawn to watercolor and transitioned to this being her primary medium. Watercolor spoke to her in a way that other materials just hadn’t. She enjoys the freedom and unpredictability that watercolor offers to an art piece.
“I love the way it flows. I love how unpredictable it can be,” she says. “I love how it behaves, or more misbehaves. I get really nerdy about it. I think it’s fun not knowing what it’s going to do.”
Her inspiration comes from the natural world around her. She finds that Earth’s beauty is what fuels her creative drive. Most of her pieces showcase flowers, fruits, landscapes and animals. However, what she finds most beautiful is the sun and the light that it offers.
“And that’s my favorite thing to capture in a painting,” Prentice says. “Beautiful light that nature has just given to us to enjoy.”
She captures this gift of the sun’s light and how the light plays off objects in all of her watercolor paintings. She describes her art as watercolor realism with a side of surrealism. Her paintings have a focused and detailed subject in the foreground, but in the background, she allows the watercolor to freely create the scenery with her guidance. This aspect of her work gives viewers a peek at who she is.
“A mix of control with a little side of chaos, which is a good representation of who I am,” she explains.
With her full days, between work and family life—with her beloved husband, son, and dog—art is something that Prentice must find time for. It is a time-consuming process that also requires a lot of preparation and the right mindset. However, she is dedicated to finding the time to pursue her passion because her art makes her happy, and she finds a sense of peace and relaxation when she’s creating it.
“As an artist, you’re gonna be happiest if you’re making art for yourself, and I think that comes through in a piece,” she says.
It seems that she may have cracked the code, as you can certainly see that happiness and passion shine within her works.
To see more, visit @saraprenticeart on Instagram.
