Artist Spotlight: Sandra Charles
Artist Spotlight: Sandra Charles
Sandra has always been an artist, but what cemented her love of painting, and specifically for oil painting, was an oil paint set her parents got her as a kid. That paint set laid the foundation lifelong love for art. Throughout grade school, art was Sandra’s favorite subject. She continued to pursue art in high school and her first attempt at college. Sandra didn’t finish college and shifted her focus to raising a family. In 2011, Sandra went back to college to finish her degree. There, a teacher suggested Sandra enroll in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. This brought painting back into her life and rekindled a passion she had lost touch with for 40 years.
Today, Sandra still works in oils; she loves the liveliness and depth they bring to her work. She has adopted a painterly style, which emphasizes texture and doesn’t try to hide the brush strokes. This style is strongly reminiscent of impressionists’ works, and Sandra’s admiration of the movement plays a part in her implementation this style. As a person of few words, Sandra’s use of painterly style is reflective of how she communicates, preferring to tell as much as possible in a single brushstroke.
Sandra’s current series focuses on the experiences of being an African American woman in America, touching on subjects like racism, self-esteem, and code-switching. It’s important for her to highlight these experiences because they are part of her story and the stories of countless other African American women, which have been historically overlooked, forgotten, or lost. To see more of her work, visit Sandra’s site at scharlesart.com. You can also find her on Instagram at @sandraspaintings.
Sandra has always been an artist, but what cemented her love of painting, and specifically for oil painting, was an oil paint set her parents got her as a kid. That paint set laid the foundation lifelong love for art. Throughout grade school, art was Sandra’s favorite subject. She continued to pursue art in high school and her first attempt at college. Sandra didn’t finish college and shifted her focus to raising a family. In 2011, Sandra went back to college to finish her degree. There, a teacher suggested Sandra enroll in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. This brought painting back into her life and rekindled a passion she had lost touch with for 40 years.
Today, Sandra still works in oils; she loves the liveliness and depth they bring to her work. She has adopted a painterly style, which emphasizes texture and doesn’t try to hide the brush strokes. This style is strongly reminiscent of impressionists’ works, and Sandra’s admiration of the movement plays a part in her implementation this style. As a person of few words, Sandra’s use of painterly style is reflective of how she communicates, preferring to tell as much as possible in a single brushstroke.
Sandra’s current series focuses on the experiences of being an African American woman in America, touching on subjects like racism, self-esteem, and code-switching. It’s important for her to highlight these experiences because they are part of her story and the stories of countless other African American women, which have been historically overlooked, forgotten, or lost. To see more of her work, visit Sandra’s site at scharlesart.com. You can also find her on Instagram at @sandraspaintings.