From an early time in her life, Sarah Stokes has had a passion for the arts andcreating beauty for others to enjoy. She has painted since she could hold a brush, and at 14 Stokes enrolled in her first oil painting class. She went on to study at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where a course in Color Theory had a huge impact on her and her work. Celebrating color, light and life in her work, Stokes uses her carefully chosen hues + painterly expression to transmute her positive worldview into an ultimately modern expression on canvas. Vibrant colors inherent in the American southeast and southwest can often be found in her paintings, as Stokes has spent much time in these areas during her life. She cites artists such as Kandinsky,Ton Schulten, DeGrazia and Brian Rutenberg as pivotal artists who have influenced her. Drawing inspiration from fashion, classic film, music and all the life around her, she paints with passion and purpose.
Stokes has focused in abstract paintings that are modern and romantic. Little seas of color in organic and geometric forms blanket the canvas while vibrant impressionist splashes play within these color fields, giving way to expressive drips. Her compositions invite viewers in to consider the meaning of the chosen hues and their forms, the play of values throughout her work and the presence or absence of light in art as well as in our world.
Giving back with her artwork is something Stokes truly enjoys doing whenever she has the opportunity. She launched Pink Art in early 2012 to benefit breast cancer awareness and research, and she isinvolved with various other local and national organizations to which she donates artworks.