28 |
JUNE 1 – 29 | 2018
ON ART
W W W. S A N TA B A R B A R A S E N T I N E L .CO M
by Margaret Landreau
In the last 18 years, Margaret Landreau has accumulated 13 years of serving on the Board of Directors of Santa Barbara County arts-related nonprofits and has worked as a freelance arts writer for 10 years. She creates her own art in her Carpinteria studio.
TRICIA SAROYA, PAINTER, SKETCH ARTIST
W
ith summer just around the corner, there is no better time to take a Sunday walk along the Cabrillo Beach Artwalk in Santa Barbara. While there, it’s hard to miss the oil paintings and sketches of Tricia Saroya. A cross between whimsical and the metaphysical, her brilliantly colored canvases draw passers-by of all ages into her booth. “I’ve been an artist all my life” Saroya shares. After receiving an art history degree, she took adult ed classes with Robert Frame, who taught her how to see and clear her mind while painting. Currently featuring a series of wild animals, she also sketches them on the leather surface of hand stretched drums she makes. “I start with their eyes, working from multiple pictures. I begin to know and relate to the animals. I really love pushing around oil paint – I find the process of playing with color on canvas very meditative.” She loves showing her work as well as the creative process. “With my paintings, sometimes a soulful connection happens, time becomes suspended, it’s a magical moment, looking into the eyes of a wild animal. The viewer’s eyes get big, a moment happens that is extraordinary to witness.” Saroya loves creating environments and 3-D spaces that transport people to a different mental and emotional space. In her store, she created an ambiance
by decorating it with treasures off the Indian reservations and flute music and artwork she would display. She created weddings, fund-raisers, and other large-scale events at the Dos Pueblos Ranch, where she lived for 15 years. She designed the lighting, decorations, flowers, music, and everything needed to bring visitors into another world during their visit. “Taking snippets of ideas, creating a physical space with light and music that causes an almost alchemic reaction you can see when you watch people enter the space – that has been magic, extraordinary for me,” Saroya explains. “A transformation happens, it raises their vibration, I love being a part of making that happen. I love creating a beautiful setting for myself too. I live in an avocado grove where I’ve been re-designing my third wheeler into a colorful Bohemian Gypsy trailer with bright paints, Asian carpets, and custom tile.” Saroya believes in giving back, donating a portion of the proceeds from her animal paintings to a cat sanctuary in Minnesota. She also helps catch, spay, neuter, and release feral felines. See Saroya’s work at Pierre La Fond, Paradise Found (Santa Barbara), Natural Accents (Taos, New Mexico), and every Sunday in the art section of the Cabrillo Beach Art Walk, Santa Barbara. Contact her by e-mail at triciasaroya@gmail.com or Instagram at Tricia Saroya.