Art is alive and well in the Auburn community, and at the heart is local artist Sarah Scott.
Scott has a recent series of prints titled “Black History Prints,” available at Mamma Mocha’s, her website, Facebook and Instagram.
“I really just wanted to start doing good, powerful peacemakers in history,” she said.
These paintings include multiple prominent figures: President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer and others.
“I don’t think they are represented enough in art; there needs to be a bigger range of positive Black influence in the South,” Scott said.
She said through her art, she seeks to have a closer connection with the people who view her work.
“I want people to look at my art and know that if they are going through something, they are heard and understood,” she said.
Scott said she wants people to be able to relate to the emotion in her artwork and form that one-on-one relationship.
“I paint to have others respond,” she said.
Scott said her style of painting focuses on the human body, emotions and faces.
Her artwork is full of emotion and feeling, which is evident through the facial expressions and the elaborate detail she puts into the strokes.
“People are definitely my favorite subject matter,” she said.
Scott said anybody in the Auburn area is free to reach out to her to act as a live model for her artwork.
“I prefer to paint from local models,” she said.
Originally from New Zealand, Scott moved to the United States 18 years ago.
She said upon her arrival to Philadelphia from New Zealand, she met someone from the Opelika area who prompted her move to the South.
Scott said ever since she moved here, she has been able to pursue her career in art and has found a deeper connection to her passion.
With a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Scott said this major was not something she was interested in finding a career in. She said, while her family told her that art was nothing more than a fun hobby, she persisted.
Growing up, Scott said she took it upon herself to use her free time to paint, following in her mom’s footsteps as an artist.
Scott said she used art “as a way of expressing myself by working through the motions.”
In addition to her art career, she is working on a book she described as mature art pieces combined with elaborative texts.
“It is an illustrative book,” she said. “In the end, it will be like a kid’s book, but for adults.”
For more updates and artwork, visit sarahscottpaintings.com.
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