Valerie Valadez
Staff Writer
Artist Sarah Sarchin’s paintings on exhibit in Pomona College’s Chan Gallery show everyday life through the eyes of women, though simple backgrounds and a small selection of pastel colors.
“In most of my work, I like to include the woman herself,” Sarchin said. “I think they are approachable, and I wanted to paint something anyone could see themselves in,” Sarchin said.
An untitled nude that took up most of the canvas’ space showed the body laying down across a background of what appeared to be granite and rocks. Geometrical shapes held a mix of pastel and dark colors as they were placed perfectly against one another throughout the background. The texture of the female body was smoother than that of the shapes in the background.
Another piece toward the gallery entrance showed a woman smoking a cigarette.
“This piece kind of reminds me of something you would hang in your room because it has a tapestry-like feeling to it,” said Ashley Kyelem, sophomore theater major at Pomona College.
In this painting bumpy white lines contrasting against smooth black lines showed Sarchin’s playfulness with texture.
In each of her four paintings, all untitled, Sarchin focused solely on representing women.
The third painting included an image of a woman walking up three sets of stairs, with each stair painted a different neutral color. It appeared as though each step represented various stages of life, with each painted varying shades of browns.
Sarchin’s last painting depicted another smoking woman, instead now with a brick wall in the background. With a completely different texture from the previous one, this painting appeared soft with a matte color scheme.
“This painting gives life, I think of smoke and it is something that vanishes easily and when I felt the paint it felt so soft almost as if I were there, it is genius,” said Vivian Kuo, freshman art major at Pomona College.
Sarchin tends to limit her use of color, with every canvas featuring only two to four different types of paint at maximum.
“Sarchin’s work has to be some of my favorite because it motivates students by giving them an understanding of what they can be doing with their art, seeing a professional’s work is always helpful,” said Tricia Avant, gallery manager.
The exhibit and the Chan Gallery are closed until further notice due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Sarchin’s paintings can be viewed online at the gallery’s website.
Valerie Valadez can be reached at valerie.valadez@laverne.edu.
