AS a school art teacher, Sandra T Sanders spends her working days supporting young people to discover their unique styles of creativity and to develop their visual awareness.<\/p>\n
But the painter\u2019s new solo exhibition this month at Soldiers Hill\u2019s Old Butcher\u2019s Shop Gallery is her opportunity to show the community how she expresses herself through acrylic on canvas.<\/p>\n
A collection of paintings depicting country landscapes of the Ballarat region, Sanders\u2019 Atmosphere is on until the weekend before Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I moved to the area in 2007, I recognised how incredible the skies were,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUp here, you see so much more sky than you do in the suburbs in Melbourne, and I love a moody sky.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the way the light reflects off the landscape, and how the landscape forms marry with the sky and have a relationship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also love the abstract quality of the sky, which is grounded by the landscape below. The land is the full stop, and gives the sky context.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanders stops to take photographs in the early mornings and late afternoons, when she is driving to and from work, which she uses as references.<\/p>\n
All the pieces in the show are of local scenes, and viewers may recognise landmarks like Mount Beckworth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t replicate the photo exactly, it\u2019s more about creating the atmosphere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sanders said she has always been passionate about painting and recalls copying the Mona Lisa at eight years of age.<\/p>\n
The creative practice is her own form of meditation, and she said she sees the result as a form of poetry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an emotional connection to the landscape, I love the landscape, and I hope that comes through in my work,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AS a school art teacher, Sandra T Sanders spends her working days supporting young people to discover their unique styles of creativity and to develop their visual awareness. But the painter\u2019s new solo exhibition this month at Soldiers Hill\u2019s Old Butcher\u2019s Shop Gallery is her opportunity to show the community how she expresses herself through […]<\/p>\n