Irreverence & Irrelevencies

SARA ALYN OAKLEY

Beginning her career an astonishing and depressing 35 years ago as an illustrator and graphic designer, Oakley has always worked either as a freelancer or studio principal. Meaning, she is now, and has always been, unemployable. The upside of independence included eight national and two international awards for illustration.

Somewhere about halfway through this story she began showing and selling fine art in pastel, watercolor, oil and graphite. How did she know it was "fine art"? She read a self-improvement book that said she was what she said she was, so she figured that went for her paintings as well. It worked. Go figure.

Fifteen years ago she ran low on money and began teaching art. A passion was born. At the 5-year mark, she was teaching college curriculum, workshops, community art center classes and coaching advanced students. Because she's tried hard to forgot everything she ever knew about painting realism, she prefers now to teach an expressive and contemporary style in oil or pastel.. Since she spent the first 20 years of her career painting in a photorealistic style, the psychiatric community says she's in denial. Obviously, she denies it.



Oakley now teaches only at The Art Colony, where she is principal artist in this highly concentrated studio cooperative that somehow manages to contain 25 working artists.

In the last decade...

In 2002 and 2003, Oakley served as Artist in Residence at Western Colorado Center for the Arts in Grand Junction, Colorado.
In 2003, she founded The Art Colony in Grand Junction.
In the Fall of 2005, the Art Colony began to offer a fine art curriculum. Offering a "working artist" approach, the school continues to offer all levels of instruction, from enthusiastic beginner to frustrated professional. Guided and coached plein air workshops are frequently arranged for private groups. The natural beauty of the orchards, vineyards, mesas and mountains of Western Colorado provide the perfect setting.
In 2006, she was awarded the Champion of the Arts Award by the Grand Junction Council of the Arts, specifically recognized for arts advocacy at the artist's level. She very much enjoyed that 15 Minutes of Fame, got a lovely, framed photograph and a very nice free dinner.


In the summer of 2007, Oakley, along with owners and patrons, the Wood family, shared in the experience of fear, laughter and skinned knuckles that launched The Blue Pig Gallery in Palisade, Colorado. The Blue Pig, a collective gallery of Western Colorado artists, features the excellent and highly varied work of 35 professionals. Under the direction of Gallery Director Marla Wood, Oakley currently serves as Artist in Residence. 



On the subject of sales, collections and ribbons, she invariably either says too much or too little. Oakley has no love for art shows that involve competition -- in particular those that pit teachers against their own students -- and will climb up on the nearest soapbox to tell you why. So, don't bring it up. Nevertheless, when she was younger and dumber, she won some big stuff. And, has sold a lot of work to some really important people who should have known better.

Well, anybody who has been at it since the Wooly Mammoth Roamed the Earth could do the same.