ArtWalk at MOD: Saralene Tapley

MOD Coffeehouse is thrilled to present paintings by Saralene Tapley! Join us for the art opening from 6-9pm on Saturday, October 5, with live music on the patio by Ladybird.

From the Artist:

The body of work for this exhibition was created during 2024. The works were derived from photographic images I found and gathered to which I have felt an intuitive connection. My studio walls are covered in strangers I have collected, studied and hoarded like a packrat. My ultimate intention is to express the beauty I see in these unknowns which I sometimes convey in strange and bewildered ways.
The work is based on my love for portraiture, movement and color. The work is not complicated or even timely. These pieces are a series of rapid sketches I created daily for four months. Each subject is specifically selected to reflect my temperament on the given day. Kind of a portrait of an emotion through the vehicle of the human form or face. From these, I have selected a very limited number to exhibit for reasons on which I will elaborate.

While painting, I came to the realization that three key elements contributed to the success of the works in this series: palette, composition, and the fluid movement of the paint. Errors and spontaneity over correctness and rigidity. Color harmony over representational accuracy. Finally, drawing, drawing, drawing. It’s always about the drawing whether laid out before hand or realizing the whole of the form while painting. Drawing is paramount.

I have been living is the Galveston area for the last 20 years. I have exhibited at Galveston Art Center, Design Works Gallery, The Proletariat and a couple of other commercial venues where I have set up shows. My work has always been about the figure. Some of my main influencers include British and American figurative painters. During my youth, I spent ten years in Ireland and England where I was exposed to many renowned portrait artist that still impact my work today. I received my MFA in 2016 from The New York Academy of Art, a master’s program that specializes in figurative training with classes ranging from anatomy, to life
drawing, to portraiture, art history and contemporary art studies. My work, however, is not entirely traditional. I get great satisfaction from pushing the boundaries of representation though abstract patterns and mark making. I, also, experiment a lot with style and medium. I have created a lot of works from life, monotype prints, oil paintings, drawings and works on paper. My subject matter, however remains the most consistent.