Sarah Mott

Artists Statement

Since my earliest days of experimenting with sculptural forms I have felt inspired by the natural environment that surrounds me.  My spirit resonates particularly with the unfulfilled promise of newly turned rich earth, its texture and its sense of confident anticipation. Clay, possessing similar qualities, never fails to excite my inclination towards artistic expression.

Being an artist, a gardner and a lover of the great outdoors I am often drawn to the natural world and it's inhabitants as constant sources of inspiration and enjoyment. In recent years I have come to realize that much of the quiet and pristine New England woods and farm land which I draw insight and creative stimulation from are either completely gone or are targeted to be radically transformed by unchecked development. Very possibly soon to be lost forever. I have always felt the desire to work reflections of this vanishing landscape into my subject matter. My most recent work combines ceramic sculpture with various painted supports. Stylized sculpted and glazed clay blossoms take the stage as as symbolic rays of hope and optimism. The painted surfaces which surround  them present darker and often tumultuously chaotic crowded landscapes. Some pieces simply let the blossoms exist on their own, allowing the viewer to explore the beauty and promise of the unspoiled forms with their iconic message of hope and possibility. 

After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art in 1979 I began a business partnership with my mom, Nancy Mott.  Our company, Clay Matter, was a clay studio which created one of a kind functional birdhouses, birdbaths and garden furniture.  My husband Hans Schaefer, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate, provided his talents and expertise to facilitate the  production aspects of many of these pieces. Marketing through the American Craft Council positioned my work in numerous high quality galleries, museums and exhibitions around the world.

 In 1995 I turned my focus to raising my two sons, August and Angus, teaching at Dean College in Franklin MA and making one of a kind ceramic sculpture. I have been an active member of the board of directors for the Attleboro Arts Museum for the past 23 years and have always loved being active in and supporting the visual arts.

sarah mott

artists statement

Sarah Mott

This is my artist statement.

Karole's Artist Bio

Karole F. Nicholson

Artist’s Bio

For over 30 years, Karole has explored various expressive mediums including ceramics, collage, watercolor, and hanging sculpture. In 2002, she took her first pastel class and discovered the medium that would speak to her like no other.

Karole attended Rhode Island School of Design studying graphic and advertising design; she paints weekly in an open studio setting and attends pastel workshops throughout the country.

Karole is a member of the RISD Art Museum, Attleboro Arts Museum, the Connecticut, Franklin and Foxboro Art Associations and the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. She has served as a Creative Facilitator for the Life Span Summer Work and Life Program, the ARC of Northern Bristol County and she facilitates healing arts programs for Community VNA.

Karole's Artist Statement

Karole F. Nicholson

Artist’s Statement
I am a pastel artist. It brings me to a place of discovery, comfort, and expression. My art creates the opportunity for me to have an intimate conversation with the viewer.
Each of my pastel landscapes allows me to convey mood, connection and a sense of place. My goal is to place you in the moment, receiving your own message providing you with just enough information to have your own experience.

Beginning with watercolor, I apply washes of color on sanded paper. This guides me to a palette. The defining medium is pastel, applied with light strokes, over the watercolor, carving shapes, identifying time of day, season, and environment. Choosing New England landscapes as my main subject allows me to render the ocean, lakes, mountains, and fields, always with the influence of sky, clouds, and atmosphere.

Part of my evolutionary process is understanding the power and potential of the pastel medium; how it is textural, accepts a light touch yet dances on the paper with coarse grounds. I have yielded to the desire to work larger giving a greater presence to the essence of each subject. I am empowered to be more interpretive, sharing what is seen with these eyes, felt with this heart.

My art experiences are directly related to my life experiences. Working larger, interpreting, limiting information, all speak to my own relationship with the universe. What I create is not only a reflection of who I am today; it is the sum of many parts that is tethered by the struggle and the joy of a lifetime.