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The Art of Carol Saxe, Looking Out and Looking Within

Art is the window to a man’s soul. – Lady Bird Johnson

The window itself as art taps in to the human spirit, inviting the viewer to consider the inside looking out as well as the outside looking in. Award winning artist Carol Saxe who has resided in the Hamptons for 20 years, is known for a series of her paintings of open doors or windows with blowing sheer curtains, images grounded in both reality and imagination. “I like pictures that tell a story,” says Saxe, “I like paintings I can look at and live with for a long time and not get bored.”

Saxe’s works and prints have been sold worldwide, audiences responding to her depictions of people and places, especially the beauty of the East End. “For me painting is like magic,” she explains, “Creating illusion, evoking memories and feelings. Like a scientist exploring the universe, the act of painting helps me to better see and experience my environment.”

From an early age Saxe could be found drawing or pouring over elaborate picture books studying the illustrations. At the University of Michigan, she started with a more traditional degree but admitted, “I would walk through the art school just to smell the paint.” She ended up pursuing her passion and learned not only technique but art history.

Saxe was living through a transitional time in New York City in the 1970s where the abstract was taking over the representational, “I came of age in a difficult time when there was still a lot of bias against women in the art world,” recounts Saxe. “There was also a lot of talk about painting being dead. And yet making pictures is as basic to human beings as composing songs or writing stories.”

As a teacher of pupils from four to 90 and art therapist she has found a universal artistic instinct. “Regardless of where in the world a child lives, human drawings go through a certain progression, going from stick figures to suns and horizons,” she explains, “Like walking or speech, the natural progression is cross cultural.”

In an age where the art market is driven by taste makers many people have come to rely upon consultants to choose the pieces instead of relying on what they are naturally drawn towards. Saxe comments, “I taught preschoolers and found it fascinating that they would often comment on my paintings and they invariably picked out the best thing. People need to trust their own judgement.”

Saxe found her move to the East End liberating and discovered a local culture which embraced artists, not only the local galleries but the art institutions. When one of her works won a prize at Guild Hall, she offered to donate it, but when they said what they would really like is a painting of Guild Hall itself she was happy to oblige and it is in their permanent collection. Her works have graced numerous covers of Dan’s Papers and are sold at Serena & Lily and her beloved collection of dog scenes on the beach are often donated to ARF where she is an avid supporter.

So, when Saxe now looks through that open window to the future what does she see? “I learned a long time ago I’m a happier person when I’m painting. I am getting better every day at what I do,” she says adding with a laugh, “That’s why you don’t hear about artists retiring. Each painting creates new challenges to resolve. Basically, I think that art is how many of us communicate and interact with the world.”

www.saxestudio.com

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