The College of the Canyons Art Gallery will present a public artist talk with Brooke Sauer to accompany her solo virtual exhibition “Out in the Blue” Monday, Nov. 9, at 2:30 p.m.

Inspired by Sauer’s hikes and adventures undertaken with family and friends, the evocative prints in “Out in the Blue”—which opened on Monday October 26—urge viewers to wander and explore.

“That feeling of being a part of something in nature, which is vast, and it being a part of me, is what inspires my work,” said Sauer. “My work starts with a feeling, maybe a memory, or even an experience that I want to have, and then I try to translate that into a simple line drawing. From there I create my final piece, which has many layers.”

Created by combining painting with a photographic printing process called cyanotype—which gives the prints their rich blue color—these works are made using water, light, and the pressed plants the artist gathers while hiking.

With a background in painting and a love of botany, Sauer strives to connect more deeply with the natural world by exploring and learning about it first-hand and reflecting on humans’ symbiotic connection to it.

Originally scheduled to be on view in the COC Art Gallery last spring, the exhibition had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

“I miss being together with our students on our beautiful campus and welcoming people to our wonderful campus art galleries, but it was exciting to create this new virtual exhibition project with Brooke,” said COC Art Gallery Director, Pamela Lewis. “I’m grateful to be able to continue to support student learning and introduce our community to this compelling contemporary artist in a virtual format.”

To view the virtual exhibit, please click here.

To attend Sauer’s free public artist talk via Zoom, please email vivian.lainfiesta@canyons.edu.

More About the Artist
Brooke Sauer received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts in painting from Otis College of Art & Design and her master’s degree in fine arts from Art Center College of Design. For more information about Brooke and her work, visit her website and Instagram account.