Meet Sarah O’Connor | Painter, Artist, Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah O’Connor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, how does your business help the community?
I celebrate what is beautiful about life and reflect that back for people to see through my art. Society as a whole needs to slow down, see the little miracles everywhere and share them with each other. If I can guide even one person at a time into that experience through my paintings, then I have helped my little corner of the world. Art can move the spirit and open the mind to hope and towards peace. Without contemplating hope, peace, and beauty, in nature and culture and art; we as individuals see what’s on the news everyday, all the horrors, and atrocities people are imposing on others, even the current discordant direction of politics and greed, and we begin to lose faith in ourselves and each other. My art honors the natural world and our relationship with it. Hopefully each piece encourages the viewer to pause and remember the magic of life, and find time to celebrate what they love as well.
Not only do I hope to encourage people to celebrate themselves inwardly, but also to protect the pacific ecosystems. Through painting, I expose the fragile beauty of the earth and my home, the pacific coast. In my sea life series, I hope the viewer may recall their own experiences looking through a dive mask or aquarium glass, reviving an appreciation for our aquatic treasure and inspire others to protect and preserve its dramatic and delicate beauty.
My art can bring celebration into the everyday spaces of peoples environment. The colorful energy can transform the austere, bland and forgettable, into a stirring, inspiring, thought provoking space. In the routines of daily living, when we are not able to participate in the beauty and energy of sunlight and nature , my art can keep the heart open and comforted as a reminder of beauty connection that is always present when we pause in gratitude.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I make art from my personal experiences diving and surfing in the waters of southern California. I am really proud of the women’s surf culture and my beautiful painted representations of the pride I feel for girls and women who surf! They are so strong, centered, and full of an equal measure of intensity and gratitude- just like my paintings of them. Such a great community to be a part of! I learned to surf at age 26 and now at 46, I surf almost every day to connect with people, the Earth, and maintain my mental health. Depression and its associated complications and my ability to express through drawing have been my experience from my earliest memories at age 4.

My resin paintings were invented during the first COVID scare when they “closed the ocean”. I was stir crazy and my partner who is a professional surfboard shaper, showed me how to use surfboard resin to pour the glass like reflective surfaces that look like the ocean. We turned our 3 car garage into a studio and built a giant wooden canvas on the entire floor to turn into our epoxy ocean of color. The kelp and sea lions were life size across the garage floor. I continue to explore the complex chemistry involved in epoxy painting. Images are composed with multiple layers of dyed resin pours and acrylic brush painting to echo the depth and movement of the ocean habitat. The resin pouring process suspends the action of the waves as it gradually hardens into a reflective water-like surface. I want people to touch the art and move around the art and look closely into the reflective initial surface just like I do to see what swims beneath my surfboard.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them on the La Jolla cliff walk above the cormorant perches and seabird sanctuary, then venture into the sea cave at the cave shop have brunch at Brockton Villa, overlooking the sea lions and pelicans of La Jolla Cove. Afterwards we would dive or snorkel through the kelp forest and garibaldi in off the cove or with the leopard sharks in front of the Marine Room. My favorite night spot for live music or dancing has always been the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach where we love to visit all the art galleries on Cedros before the concert. Lourdes mexican food nearby has a cheap and delicious chicken tortilla soup, with giant chunks of avocado in it, and homemade tortillas.
For anyone learning to surf I take them to Tourmaline in Pacific Beach where I learned to surf! Just hanging out with the locals in the parking lot is a super festive san diego aloha experience. The best hotel on the planet is The Crystal Pier hotel where you literally sleep above the crashing waves on a creaky wooden pier that my mom used to stay at in the 1960’s. Definitely rent a bike or roller skate down the boardwalk all the way to south mission jetty and stop to ride the Giant dipper roller coaster on the way. It will be some of the best prople watching all along the way.
Also in mission bay is San Diego whale watching tours – also a must because we always see dolphin, blue whales, and humpback whales on the trip. Amazing photos!
My parents honeymooned at the Hotel Del Coronado which I love to visit especially during Christmas when you can ice skate in front of the ocean and celebrate their brilliantly themed grand Christmas tree and holiday lights everywhere. Any chance to kayak across San Diego bay from Coronado to Downtown is another fantastic adventure.
All visitors need a chance to hike Annies canyon in the San Elijo estuary and the Torrey Pines trail to Blacks Beach, and search for peregrine falcons nesting on the cliffs and osprey hunting the waters. We would need fish tacos or Carne Asada burritos after that at Roberto’s overlooking the estuary near Torrey pines. Bird Rock coffee makes the best cappucinos and
My friends would definitely need a month or a lifetime in San Diego.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My children, Lana and Audrey for always being present to love and celebrate the beauty of life with me. Without their enthusiasm and fresh eyes there is so much that I would never have seen and painted.

Thank you to my surfing “crew” who truly know the connection to the waves, lifestyle, and good vibes that keep me true to myself and in community.

Thank you to my partner and parents for loving me in the best of times and out through the darkest moments.

Website: www.SarahOConnorArt.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_oconnor_art/ @sarah_oconnor_art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.o.lippe/