Stories Told

Stories Told by Sarah Z. Short Fragments of paper and prose air studio gallery

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Stories Told Fragments of Paper and Prose

Sarah Z. Short

October 4–27, 2024 A I R S T U D IO GALLERY 19 Railroad Ave. Westerly, RI Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 1–6pm and by appointment airstudiogallery.net @airstudiogallery

This exhibit features 100 works from Sarah Z. Short’s collage-a-day project along with 24 larger works inspired by them.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Fragments of Paper and Prose I’ve always told stories.

In the beginning, my stories were made of words alone.

But as my art evolved, I discovered a new form of storytelling—one that is visual, tactile, and layered.

It begins with a fragment of text from a vintage book.

This snippet becomes the seed of an abstract collage, each layer adding depth as I chase the unfolding story, crafting a path through the composition.

I use a proof press and worn wooden type to print onto found pages, abstracting the letters as I print, and then again as I cut into them. The original letters transform, reimagined as part of a new narrative.

Yet, the process doesn’t end with the final piece. I weave my memories and a touch of imagination into a written story that accompanies the artwork. This act of writing allows me to honor the words hidden within the collage and pay tribute to the books I’ve deconstructed.

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100 Vintage Collages “It began with a collage. Well, 100 collages.

I challenged myself to make 100 collages using only vintage magazines and a glue stick, often from advertisements in Time, Life, or The Post.

Each one was created from a single page of the magazine,” explained Sarah.

We are thrilled to display all 100 collages, and to offer a selection of nine from this project as archival giclée prints.

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The halls were crowded and an accidental shove sent her textbooks to the floor. As she bent down to gather them, her hand brushed against a library book. Lifting it, a delicate, yellowed envelope slipped out. Across the front, in elegant script, were the words “For You.” The seal remained unbroken. Should she open it?

— Sarah Z. Short

For You Found papers and acrylic collage 36 x 48 in $1850

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Looking out the window, she sees her garden flowering in all the same colors. Purple, white, blue...where was the variety? Had they been out of all the other colors when she picked out the plants? Still, it was beautiful.

— Sarah Z. Short

Flowers Found papers and acrylic collage 16 x 16 in $670

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The wooden sign outside the general store advertised food and sundries. She liked that word a lot, and hoped she’d find magic wands, fancy hats, and spun sugar clouds when she went inside. (She wasn’t disappointed).

— Sarah Z. Short

Miscellaneous Found papers and acrylic collage 30 x 40 in $1540

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It was three in the morning and she couldn’t sleep. She had a math test tomorrow and didn’t feel prepared. Why was it so hard to multiply by 9? In her head, she started multiplying by three.

She’d go as far as she needed to until she fell asleep. (It took a very long time.)

— Sarah Z. Short

Odd Number Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $755

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Sharon loved children and they loved her right back. On sunny days, when everyone wanted to be in the playground, she’d tell them stories about riding her motorcycle across the county.

When the recess bell finally rang, they wouldn’t leave until she told them one last story.

— Sarah Z. Short

Sharon’s Playground Found papers and acrylic collage 10 x 9 in $440

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Years later, she found the letter in the back of her bureau drawer. Sitting on her bed, hand over her heart, she read the words she’d forgotten he’d written. Her life would have been so different without these words, written in green ink on thin paper.

— Sarah Z. Short

Your Explanation Found papers and acrylic collage 36 x 36 in $1590

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She’d seen the blueprints for the theater. They’d even given her a tour during construction and she’d stood in the space that would someday be the stage. That hadn’t prepared her for this moment, waiting behind the curtains, ready for the opening song.

— Sarah Z. Short

Stage Floor Found papers and acrylic collage 30 x 40 in $1540

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She opened the barn doors and wheeled out her bike. In her backpack, she had snacks, a blanket, and a book. The inn’s owner had told her of a path through the woods that would bring her to a waterfall where she could spend her day and probably not see another person. Perfect.

— Sarah Z. Short

In Place Found papers and acrylic collage 30 x 40 in $1540

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She dropped her ballot into the box as the first woman in her town to vote for president. All eyes were on her as she walked away, nodding at the other women who stood in line. This was a day to remember.

— Sarah Z. Short

Cheering Your Voice Found papers and acrylic collage 16 x 20 in $790

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Finding the right ingredients for the potion was proving troublesome. The grapes had turned sour, the holly berries weren’t ripe, and there was no way she was using frog feet. With a flick of her wand, she summoned her spellbook and began researching alternatives. She would not lose her apples to rot this winter.

— Sarah Z. Short

Not that Simple Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $790

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Would anyone answer if she called?

Would it be Jenny?

— Sarah Z. Short

Two Tone Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $700

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In her grandmother’s bureau, she found a little blue box. The ring was small and, folded inside the box, was the canceled check that had paid for the ring. How strange, she thought. She’d never seen her grandmother wear the ring and didn’t recognize the name signed on the check.

This was a mystery she’d never be able to solve.

— Sarah Z. Short

That Blue Box Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $700

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It was a mile walk into town, but not so bad on a day as beautiful as this one. She felt sure that the walk back would be even better because the newest edition of Harper’s Magazine should be at the post office today. There wasn’t much reading material at home and she looked forward to the one magazine they got that wasn’t a seed catalog.

— Sarah Z. Short

Harper’s Story Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $700

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The path was smooth under her feet, sandy and free of rocks, and she moved quickly towards the cabin. When she got close, she saw someone had made a garden of jagged stones and imagined they’d been collected over years of following the same path that had led her here.

— Sarah Z. Short

Jagged Found papers and acrylic collage 11 x 14 in $480

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This time, she was determined to learn the language. By next year’s visit, she’d be able to read the books on the shelves of the apartment.

Okay, maybe just the picture books, but that would be an improvement.

— Sarah Z. Short

Eve Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $790

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He pointed out the window, distracted from his toys. I looked too and saw the sky flaming with the colors of the sunset.

— Sarah Z. Short

Sunset Found papers and acrylic collage 20 x 16 in $790

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She flipped through the records until she found the one she needed. The needle jumped over a scratch before finding its path and the jazz filled the room with magic.

— Sarah Z. Short

Smooth Found papers and acrylic collage 12 x 12 in $520

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No matter how often she told him not to touch the car windows, the little fingerprints were always there. (She didn’t mind that much.)

— Sarah Z. Short

Fingerprints Found papers and acrylic collage 12 x 12 in $520

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She thanked the librarian when he gave her a bookmark with the reminder, “Don’t fold the pages.”

That was the rule for library books.

Her books, well, they had notes in the margins, broken spines from leaving them open on tables, and multiple folded pages.

— Sarah Z. Short

Don’t Fold the Pages Found papers and acrylic collage 12 x 12 in $520

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She’d saved the plums for breakfast. They were in the icebox, and the chill of the fruit would be a perfect start to this steamy summer morning. Opening the door, she found an apology note from her husband on the empty plate. So sweet and so cold. (Thank you, William Carlos Williams) — Sarah Z. Short

Plum Found papers and acrylic collage 10 x 8 in $350

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Violets are her favorite flowers. When she was little, she’d pick them, careful not to bruise the stems, and put them into small glass bottles with a bit of water. They’d go into her doll house and she pretended there was a wedding and the bride had filled her parlor with her favorite flowers.

— Sarah Z. Short

Violet Found papers and acrylic collage 12 x 9 in $440

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The weekly newspaper was a treasure. Take today’s front page story, which began with, “There was that recent complaint that prize pigs...” Before she’d read the rest, she’d found her husband in the barn, and as he mucked out the pig pen, she’d read him the article. They certainly didn’t want anyone complaining about their prize pigs.

— Sarah Z. Short

That Recent Complaint Found papers and acrylic collage 16 x 16 in $670

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One day she was a teacher, handing out workbooks of excerpts from novels to her students because that’s what she was told to do. Now, she rips up old books and turns them into art and makes sure that her son reads whatever he wants.

— Sarah Z. Short

Evolution Found papers and acrylic collage 12 x 9 in $400

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Street names tend not to live up to the promised expectation. Fox Lane– no foxes. Pine Street– no trees to speak of. When she arrived at Pleasant Street her first thought was, “This is quite nice.”

Such a relief.

— Sarah Z. Short

Pleasant Street Found papers and acrylic collage 12 x 16 in $540

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About Sarah Sarah Z. Short is a collage artist and printmaker from the woods of Rhode Island. Her background as an English teacher explains her love of books, which she also enjoys using as the primary material for her collages.

Sarah works with found paper and ephemera, utilizing the stories of the past in her contemporary art. She begins many of her pieces by printing with wooden type on pages rescued from discarded books. The prints are then abstracted in her collage compositions to make the original letter forms unrecognizable. Her interest is in the shapes and white space she can make with the typography.

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PRESS RELEASE

Short’s love for words and books first took her into the classroom as a middle and high school English teacher where collage always found its way into student projects.

During her years as a classroom teacher, she also earned an MFA in creative writing.

Stories Told Fragments of Paper and Prose Sarah Z. Short

But it was during COVID lockdown when Short delved into her practice as an artist taking online classes, absorbing all the learning she could to bring into her work and find her own unique voice.

AiR Studio Gallery, Westerly, RI October 4–27, 2024 Opening reception Friday October 4, 5–8pm

“I’ve always told stories. In the beginning, my stories were made of words alone. But as my art evolved, I discovered a new form of storytelling – one that is visual, tactile, and layered,” she said.

WESTERLY – The worn pages that hold stories, whisps of memories, and words scrawled in cursive letters capture abstract collage artist Sarah Z. Short’s imagination – right before she cuts them apart.

It’s no surprise then, that Short is combining her vocations as artist and teacher to offer a one-day workshop in conjunction with her exhibition. During the workshop on Oct. 19, 9:30–4:30 pm at AiR Studio, participants will have the opportunity to explore abstract collage and composition using vintage materials.

But deconstruction of vintage materials – book pages, handwritten letters, maps, forgotten piano rolls – combined with wooden type block prints is how Short, a mixed-media abstract collage artist and Charlestown, RI native, begins creating new narratives with her work.

“It begins with a fragment of text from a vintage book.

This snippet becomes the seed of an abstract collage, each layer adding depth as I chase the unfolding story, crafting a path through the composition,” Short said.

“In an era that urges mindfulness about consumption, Sarah’s creative practice could be considered truly of its time as she reduces, reuses, and recycles what would be discarded,” said Annie Wildey, AiR Studio Gallery coowner.

The words and stories exist not only within Short’s artwork, but also in the accompanying pieces of microfiction she writes.

“With these materials she explores texture, color and the shapes and negative space of original letter forms.

The results are both contemporary and timeless graphic compositions,” Wildey said.

“I weave my memories and a touch of imagination into a written story that accompanies the artwork. This act of writing allows me to honor the words hidden within the collage and pay tribute to the books I’ve deconstructed,” Short said.

Short’s collages and prints can be found in galleries and as licensed prints. She has been published in print and online magazines and teaches online and in-person.

And on Oct. 4, from 5-8pm, during Westerly’s First Friday Arts Crawl, an exhibition of Short’s work, Stories Told – Fragments of Paper and Prose, opens at AiR Studio Gallery.

Workshop Information: Collage with Vintage Materials Saturday, October 19, 9:30am–4:30pm info: sarahzshort.com/inpersonworkshop

The exhibit features 100 works from Short’s collage-a-day project – a challenge she set for herself to create quick daily collages using vintage magazines – and is open through Oct. 27.

For additional information and images email Annie Wildey: hello@anniewildey.com or view website exhibition preview: https://www.airstudiogallery.net

In addition to Short’s collage-a-day project pieces, the exhibition also features work inspired by them.

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About AIR Studio Gallery Annie Wildey and Michael Fanelli opened AIR as a studio and gallery in December 2022, in Westerly RI. At AiR we create & curate contemporary art for the home and other spaces. Bringing something fresh to the arts community, AIR blurs the line between gallery, studio, and project space.

Visitors will find exhibitions that showcase artwork in inventive ways.

We work with individuals, designers and art consultants.

CONTEMPOR ARY ART STUDIO +

GALLERY

19 Railroad Ave. Westerly, RI airstudiogallery.net @airstudiogallery

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