Drawing of the Week: “A Night Out”

Drawing of the Week: Sara Gallagher (b. 1990), “A Night Out,” 2022, graphite and pan pastel on paper, 20 x 27 1/2 in., private collection

“I am deeply passionate about breaking social taboos surrounding emotional and mental health,” Gallagher says in her Artist Statement. “I work to do this through my mixed media graphite and pastel drawings, community-based discussions, and the written word. Gentle, ethereal, and at times surreal, my hyperrealistic artworks are best described as Emotional Realism.

“Each series is founded upon vulnerable conversations held with the participants in my work, covering topics such as emotional intimacy, domesticity, and resilience through trauma. The emotional experiences shared in these conversations are translated into the drawings, which include the participating individual as the model for the piece themselves. To continue conversations beyond the studio, each artwork is paired with a written statement about the experience it depicts along with a question pointed back to the viewer inviting them to engage directly with their own related perspectives.

“Through use of figurative realism, a subtle color palette, and concise compositions, the image personifies emotions in a way that can be familiar and accessible to many. The goal is to create solidarity with others who can relate to the emotional states being depicted, encouraging more transparency, support, and dialogue amongst our peers; partners; families; and communities at large.”

On the Drawing “A Night Out”

“Sometimes we find ourselves stuck at home, spending our precious time doing things simply because ‘they need to get done’,” Gallagher says. “Cleaning dishes, washing laundry, sweeping tumbleweeds of the dog’s seemingly endless hair… etc. As we muscle through these mundane necessities, occasionally we get to steal a moment to escape elsewhere; linger in a daydream; take a few deep breaths and a mental reprieve. I tend to enjoy getting dressed up to go nowhere and getting lost in a song, a painting, or simply a window.

“Where do you go, while you are in?”

Connect with the artist at www.saragallagherartwork.com.

This drawing of the week comes from our sister publication, Fine Art Connoisseur: “Drawing Us to See” (January/February 2023)