October 8 5:30 pm

Exhibitions
At this free event, enjoy a drink and a snack, take in Sasha’s work, and meet the artist on October 8th from 5:30 – 7:00pm.

 

ARTIST BIO
Sasha Tai is a third-generation Chinese American originally from Redmond, Washington. Having been creating art since a very young age, she only started practicing representational portraiture around 2020. Now working in both representational/ imaginative realistic portraits and landscapes, she has developed a technique in which specific methods used for watercolor are implemented into traditional oil painting. Many of her paintings have narrative themes, taking inspiration from various stories found in folklore or spiritual beliefs from different cultures. Her portraits commonly depict the figure intertwined with elements of nature, representing this inherent connectivity between us and our environment. She currently attends Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University as a third year student, working towards a BFA in Art.

ARTIST STATEMENT
I’ve always been fascinated by the ways that one can blur the lines between reality and imagination, how concepts that are purely emotional or intuitive can be physically depicted through representations of ourselves and the natural world. I’ve always been drawn to painting portraits because of how powerful facial expressions can be, especially when directed at the viewer. Growing up, I’ve noticed that there are so many phenomenons from nature that parallel our individual life experiences. For example, the fluidity of water and how it symbolizes that fact that everything is constantly in motion. Movement is definitely something I aim to emphasize in my work, along with light and the different ways you can manipulate it to invoke this feeling of aliveness within the painting. I chose to call the show “Mirage,” because along with the obvious water symbolism, the actual definition of a mirage means something reflecting reality that is otherwise completely imaginary, usually formed by the bending of light or air. Think of “Mirage,” as the literal line separating reality and imagination, something that feels somewhat distant yet close to each and every one of us.

 

ArtsWest’s Gallery is free and open to the public Thursday – Saturday from 2:00pm – 7:00pm and Sundays 11:00am – 3:00pm.

All artwork is for sale.

Those interested in purchasing artwork should contact the Box Office in-person, by phone, or email boxoffice@artswest.org