VL Studio Visit with Texas Artist Sarah Beth Banning

Sarah Beth Banning

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October 2013 Volume 2 No. 10

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VISUAL LANGUAGE

contemporary fine art

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STUDIO VISIT SARAH BETH BANNING

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STUDIO VISIT

SARAH BETH BANNING

Sarah Beth Banning was born and raised in South Texas among rolling farm and ranch land before moving into the heart of the Texas Hill Country. She now lives in Wimberley, a.k.a. “A Little Bit of Heaven” where she is raising her 3 children and pursuing her artistic career. Sarah Beth currently shows work at Texas Treasures Fine Art in Boerne, TX and at her own gallery/studio space called SongBrush Gallery in Wimberley, TX.

War Horses 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf

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When I was a child my favorite toys were a pencil and paper. My mother, grandmother, and aunts will all tell you I always knew the proper way to hold a pencil. I’d sit for hours at 4 years old drawing the usual things little girls draw; fairies, princesses, birds and horses, so many horses.

When people ask me how I became an artist I tell them it was my love for horses. I was a little girl without a real horse so I drew myself herds of them. At the age of 9 I was fortunate enough to begin riding lessons. The teacher, knowing my love of drawing horses, gave me stacks of old horse magazines. I studied them cover to cover and made many drawings using the horses in the magazines as inspiration.

What an amazing gift that old stack of magazines was to me.

I did finally get that horse at the age of 14. She was small and dark and I named her Sassy for good reason. I discovered that my favorite part about owning a horse was watching her run thunderously across the pasture and kick up her heels in joy. It’s an amazing sight to see.

It was summer and I was 16 when I began to paint. My father had bought some wood panels from the local craft store and I borrowed one, went into the attic with some craft paint, and started painting. I was amazed at what I had done. It actually looked good. I think it was a painting of deer by a lake.

Next, I did a beautiful horse running through a field of bluebonnets.

The painting bug had bitten and all summer I was in the attic with my coffee, blueberry bagels, and my CD player. It was heaven on earth. I sold every painting I made that summer.

The following summer was truly inspirational. In high school I played the french horn very well and I had the invited to tour 7 countries in Europe with a band made up of high school kids from all across America. I was able to see the old and magnificent European cathedrals and tour the Louvre in Paris, France. Seeing centuries of art all together in one amazing palace was more awe inspiring than this small town Texas girl could have dreamed. www.songbrushgallery.com VisualLanguageMagazine.com - VL Magazine | 5

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STUDIO VISIT

SARAH BETH BANNING

The Crow Scout 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf

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Lakota Blue 36” x 48” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf

Of course my life hasn’t been perfect and filled with nothing but horse riding and European vacations.

I got married far too young and that did not turn the way I thought it would when I was seventeen and so naïve. I went through some pretty dark times in my life but haven’t we all? Without the down times how could you possibly want to reach higher and grow?

I found myself with three children, a divorce, and moving back in with my parents. I was 24 and had no idea what to do with my life. So, in between changing diapers and nursing babies I started going back to school. I took my first painting class and hit it off with the teacher. Soon we were pretty good friends and it was her influence that helped me realize I needed to pursue art. I am very grateful for that.

I received a B.F.A with a major in painting from Texas State University. I guess I was like a lot of graduates and struggled with the post college dilemmas of job hunting and real life. It didn’t take me long to just start doing what I had always done and before I knew it my house was full of giant paintings. That’s when I teamed up with Justin Black and together we opened a gallery and studio space in downtown Wimberley, TX. Justin is a wonderful musician, artist, and designer. He has been very supportive of me and all my artistic endeavors for the past three years. He is my rock.

We call our space SongBrush Gallery and we are coming up on a 1 year anniversary. If you find yourself in Wimberley stop by, say hi, and watch me work on my latest painting. www.songbrushgallery.com

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STUDIO VISIT

SARAH BETH BANNING

Buffalo Bill 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf

I have started using gold leaf in most of my oil paintings because I feel it gives the paintings the right dramatic effect I am going for. I want my art to make an impact. I want them to have a rich vibe and be larger than life.

My paintings consist of old school subject matter with graphic elements. My art is transitional because it takes iconic western images and brings them into the now and that is epic.

Sarah Beth Banning

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Right Page: Annie Oakley 48” x 60” Oil on Canvas with Gold Leaf

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