Sara Risley

Artist Statement

As an artist, I tend to see the world differently.  I notice the odd play of light, the reflection rather than the water, the crack in the sidewalk, the imperfections of a useful item.  I record everyday things and then add, enhance, layer, and refine to create beauty from that which most overlook.  My subjects are as simple as pavement, reflections, frost on the window, snow covered rearview mirrors, a nurse’s whimsical scrubs, or a scratched metal cart.

I approach my photography in an exploratory manner.  Using my camera and I-phone non-traditionally, I look for ways to make the mundane exceptional and then experiment on the computer until I feel the final piece has been revealed. My work is a whimsical practice of both serendipity and precision. 

The most striking feature of my work is color-- bright, intense, and vibrant. The color might come from the subject matter or might be revealed when layering or saturating many images. Often my paintings become additional source material for my photographic art.  I hope viewers will be drawn to the images or colors that appeal to them.  The intensity of the color lures the viewer in to witness the often intricate details of lines and shapes within.

In my abstract photography, I present non-explicit images that can initiate conversation from the literal-“What is it?”  or “How did you do that?”  to the internal “What do I feel about this?”  or “How is it affecting me?” 

My hope is that my work provokes, inspires, and spurs thought and conversation.

“The most astonishing possibilities remain to be discovered in the raw material of photograph" photographers "must learn to seek, not the 'picture,' not the esthetic of tradition, but the ideal instrument of expression.” 

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

Artist Biography:

Born and raised in Elgin, Illinois, Sara Risley is a working artist living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She studied photography at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas followed by a 27-year career as a portrait photographer in Chicago, St. Louis, and Milwaukee.  Since retiring, she works fulltime at her art.  She is greatly influenced by the Abstract Expressionists as is evident in both her abstract photography and her acrylic paintings. She has shown in juried shows and galleries in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Indiana, and Missouri and her work is in private collections throughout the US.  She is an avid volunteer at Literacy Services of Wisconsin where she tutors adults working toward their GEDs and a very part-time employee (and fan) of Milwaukee Repertory Theater.