Portrait of a Student Artist

An interview with Sarah Landmesser by Evelyn Krakovski. Photography by Angelica Millen.

Creativity and innovation go hand in hand within the realm of art. Artists utilize many directions when expressing themselves in their pieces. Art is fashion and vice versa.

Both artists and designers understand the importance of expressing their views, thoughts, and personality, all of which manifest through a physical form. The output is produced in thousands of ways, including through the impressive manipulation and beauty of a fabric.

Sarah Landmesser, a senior student artist and fabric designer at the University of Georgia, is double majoring in marketing and studio art with an emphasis in fabric design. Utilizing beautiful and vibrant colors, Landmesser creates unique designs through a plethora of mediums, including children’s clothing, furniture, and even carpets. The femininity in her artwork not only allows her to present beautiful collections to her audience but also to empower women. From themes of 1960s Hollywood cinema 1970s Lilly Pulitzer prints to the French New Wave, she expresses her artistic thought in both textile design and fine art.

Landmesser welcomes a creative space for all where the audience can fully immerse themselves in colorful creations. She uses beautifully bold colors to represent her true self. To Landmesser, fashion comes from art, and art comes from fashion. She utilizes inspiration from both spheres to create exceptional collections, all for the pure enjoyment of spreading innovative creativity around the world.

Where are you from, and how does that affect your work?

I’m from Greenville, South Carolina. In a large sense, being from the South, I think that affects my color palette. I think about Charleston with all the bright colors growing up. Some of that is very southern – I don’t want to say sorority because I am not in a sorority and don’t really identify with that label – but some have that color scheme.

I’m very inspired by 70s Lilly Pulitzer, and I think that some of that really affects my work in terms of having a love for color and the landscape. Greenville, South Carolina, also has just an amazing art scene. It’s similar to Athens. I went to an arts high school, which was amazing. I’ve always felt that could be a really valid career path.

How does Athens impact your work?

The art school is such a big community for me, and being constantly surrounded by other artists has had a big impact on my work. In my cohort within fabric design, there are five of us graduating in May, so I’m always around them. We did a project in the fall where we had to do a piece inspired by each of our four classmates. A bunch of them use totally different color palettes than me, and two of them use text a lot more often than me. Since doing a piece inspired by their use of text, almost all of my work uses that element. Being in a larger community and looking at what other people are making has definitely affected my work.

Can you describe your creative process? Where do you get your inspiration?

With my abstract paintings, I start those mainly as a sketch. I try to do a daily drawing or painting every single day as a promise to myself that I will do something creative and make a mark on a page. I have had a professor tell me that artists spend 90% of their career sitting around, waiting for a perfect idea, but the best thing to do is to still be working during that time. Even if you don’t make anything exceptional, just make one singular mark on a painting every single day. So, when you get the idea, you’re ready, and you’ve been in practice. Sometimes, I use my iPad on Procreate – my larger paintings normally come from that. I pull what I like or what was successful from it. I also occasionally do figurative work, using the human form as a reference, whether it’s realistic or abstract. I’ve been very into form and movement, whether it be dance, yoga, or pilates.

Who or what are your biggest inspirations?

I have a huge book of Joan Mitchell, who is one of my favorite abstract female painters. I have been looking at the book for my paintings. I’ve found that I never run out of inspiration if I am working every day – an idea always comes up. Sometimes, I pull trends from Pinterest, then create pattern collections.

What is your favorite medium and why?

Right now, it is painting, but it changes so often for me. I love textiles as a whole, and how things translate to wovens, but right now I am burnt out on the process of weaving. It is beautiful, but it is tedious. However, I love the looseness and expressive qualities in my paintings versus the tight, concrete lines in textiles.

Close-up: Once Upon a Time

What is your most meaningful piece?

I have it hanging on my wall, called Once Upon a Time. I painted it as part of a show in the fall called Pretty in Pink. For that one specifically, I wanted to think about my own relationship with pink. I was thinking about my mom as a breast cancer survivor, and her relationship with pink.

Every October, she would be overwhelmed with the color. She never really identified with being a cancer survivor, so I have really distinct memories of that being a difficult time for her. There is a poem written in the painting that you don’t see at first glance, but when you walk up closer to it, it is a powerful neon explosion of pink.

Does art help you in other areas of your life?

It is very meditative and healing. I wish I could make everyone learn how to knit, crochet, embroider, or something you can do with your hands mindlessly. These days, TikTok fills that need and the anxious energy in your hands. I think we all have the desire to use our hands like children where you can color, paint, or even play with Play-Doh.

Do you see yourself continuing this art style for the entirety of your art career?

I think it will always be fluctuating between a balance of painting, pottery, and textiles. With pottery, I love the glazes, carvings, and creating the surface. Same thing with painting and textiles – creating the surface.

How would you say the abstract movement has impacted your art?

The abstract movement is very maledominated. Part of my process of being inspired was taking the time to do research and dive into the women in the movement. I started to think about femininity in my work and a woman’s intuition. In the fall, I looked into how men as painters were seen as intellectuals, but how it wasn’t the same relationship with women. I also read a book that examined all of these different artists, some of which were more heteronormative than others, and it was interesting to me how they saw their own gender playing a role in how they saw themselves as an artist.

Does fashion influence your art?

All the time. I look at high fashion and see what I love there, especially with creating patterns. Color-wise, I love seeing what comes out of fashion in terms of colors, like when looking at the Met Gala. I love to look at PatBO and its prints. Same thing with Never Fully Dressed – most of their prints are designed in-house, and they’re all so unique and powerful. In Cortona, [Italy], I got to see a show about Wanda Ferragamo, and it was about the different women throughout the brand, as well as women’s roles. My personal fashion is one half clothes for painting and the other half bold colors, which is similar to my work. However, I also love all-black – there is something so nice about the look.

Have you ever incorporated your art into everyday clothing?

I’ve been in a phase where I’m starting to turn my paintings into fabric digitally in patterns of repetition. I see a world where they become apparel one day, but it hasn’t quite happened yet.

What makes a great artist?

Someone who thinks about what they are consuming and has a unique voice. Someone who thinks about the process and intent.

What does art mean to you?

Art is authentically expressing myself and the joy in my life, and being able to create a space of joy for other people.*

*This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.