Artist Statement
As an artist my goal is to capture the beauties of God’s creation and intricacies of life in every painting. My goal is to create an emotional connection through my drawings and oil paintings. I find that when working on projects; I paint things that bring me back to memories of my childhood. The hours I spent fishing with my dad and the games I played with my brother in the rural fields of Pennsylvania or the beautiful routine of everyday life that my mom would exhibit with such genuine grace and care.
In these works, my hope is to extent the incredible beauty of life as a perfect gift from our Lord showing the love he has given to all the world. This continues to spread into other works, where I encompass my heart for missions and my love for people.
In all cases I make it my goal to put my heart into every stroke and truly portray the emotions and the true perfection of creation through a realistic approach in order to communicate the enormity and purpose of life. This is something I wish to share with others through my works and also teaching them to communicate their ideas and find a true love for the arts as I have.
I grew up in a Christian home in a rural area of Pennsylvania along with my two younger brothers. I was involved in our local school district where I took part in sports such as soccer, karate, swimming, shoot team, and many volunteer programs. We grew up in a home which was always open to anyone, which had taught me the true meaning of love and care for others, genuine hospitality, hard work ethic, and being willing to selflessly give to other; creating in me the character I have today.
Sara Tirpak Biography
My formal training began at the age of eleven were I began to take classes taught by artist Elena Shackleton, who received her education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and trained under artists such as Patt Whitt and Henry Henche. I pursued this as just a hobby for the remainder of my middle school and high school career. I then continued my education at a local community college, majoring in education and taking art classes as electives. I did not believe at this time that a career in art was something I should pursue. I finished my associate in education in 2013.
This began my transition into the work field where I worked for three years in a residential program for troubled youth. During this time, I worked in direct care with clients from all walks of life, and alongside art therapists and other team members in order to reintegrate these clients back into society. During this time, I learned to embrace my love for art and my heart for people. I began to understand that my talents in art and in other areas can be used for so much more and began to identify my strengths and focus them into my goals.
During this time, I continued to grow my skills and allowed these break throughs to direct me to continue my education. I knew when choosing a school that I wanted one which stood strong in the foundation of the Bible but was something I could afford. That next semester I found myself attending Pensacola Christian College studying studio art under teachers such as Master of Art, Brian Jekel, who was trained at The Rocky Mountain School of Art.
During my time at school I expanded my knowledge in many traditional mediums learning to really embrace drawing and oil painting. Digital art is something I had no prior experience with and through my time at school I learned to truly embrace graphic design, digital painting and other digital forms. I completed my bachelor’s degree in studio art and a minor in graphic design. Since this time my art has been accepted into galleries and I have also been commissioned to do several works. My favorite subjects to paint are people with a story.
My goal is to continue to share my passion for art with those around me, just as my art teacher did back in 6th grade. I want to use my love for people and art to create, and help others grow into the best versions of themselves and show them Gods love through the beauty of the world and to further develop the talents God has given us
