NASA and Painting Pretty Things: Meet Artist, Sarah Heinbaugh

Today, we get to meet Sarah Heinbaugh, one of my favorite artists. She's very talented. I love her art, especially her pastry art. Fun fact, she once painted a portrait of me, which I still have and love. I fangirled when she agreed to this interview. Without further ado, a coversation with Sarah Heinbaugh!

J: Tell us a bit about yourself (where are you from? What are some of your favorite things to do? Fun facts, etc.). When did you start painting and why?

S: I was born in 1984 in Houston, TX in a suburb on the south side of downtown near NASA. Both of my parents (and later, my step-parents as well) worked for the NASA Space Program, so that’s where I grew up. My parents are all very kind, super smart engineer-types, so it’s always strange to me that I ended up taking a completely different path from them. I don’t really remember not being considered an “artist”, as so many other creatives say in their life stories—I was always the artsy kid, taking outside of school art classes on the weekends and choosing art as my elective in school. It’s my happy place and always has been! I think my first real painting was in my 10th grade art class as an assignment, when I was 15. I fell in love with it 100%. There’s never been another medium that has moved me as much as painting has, it’s pretty amazing. 

J: NASA!? I am amazed! I love a lot of your food drawings, as you know because I have bought a few of them. Where do you draw inspiration from for what you paint?

S: This is going to sound like a “no duh” statement, but I am simply drawn to pretty things. Be it a display of pastries at a bakery, a plate of artfully or thoughtfully made food, lighting on a glass, bright colors on a street, someone with a super interesting face and features, etc., there are things happening around us all the time, all day that are like little twinkles to me. Simply put, those things entice me, and I want to capture them and translate them. I love painting objects. I suppose my style of painting just kind of lends itself better to painting something solid as opposed to atmospheric, but I absolutely want to conquer my weaknesses and get better at things like painting landscapes. 

J: What a great answer! I love pretty things, too. Do you have a routine for painting or do you just go with flow?

S: You know… hmmm… I think I do have a routine? lol :-) I also want to say I go with the flow in some capacity, though. For all paintings, I will start by making sure I have a good reference photo to work from. If it’s a “for fun” painting (as opposed to a commission) I’ll pick out what size I’m feeling from my stash in my studio. I like to keep several options on hand—anywhere from 4x4” to 30x40” are in my storage area in my studio. Sometimes the photo will dictate the size for me, or maybe the amount of time I want to spend on the painting. If it’s a quick painting or a study, I’ll usually go for something in the 11x14” or smaller size range and decide between canvas, wood, or paper. Then, I’ll choose my ground color based on the reference photo. I can generally visualize what the end result will look like, so I’ll choose a color that is completely unrelated to the photo. I find it’s more exciting that way, and some of that color ends up popping through in areas—love those moments! Then, I draw out my composition, kind of making a map for myself to lay out color and shapes, and once my drawing is looking good enough, I start laying down color. I start in with a larger brush, and generally with the darker tones, and work all over the canvas. My eye is always moving around the whole canvas and working in the color I have on my brush into the painting all at once. Then, color by color, I start refining and sculpting the form. I’d say, in general, I work from large brushes and loose brush work to smaller brushes, and move my hand closer to the bristles so I can get detail work in. Of course, this is not the end-all, be-all, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

J: When do you know that a painting is complete?

S: There are some paintings that I am sure I could paint on forever—typically it’s the super detailed paintings that I have a hard time walking away from. I stop painting when 1. the time I’m spending on the painting is not making the painting look any different, or 2. I have a feeling that it’s done. There are times when I wish I would have stopped sooner—it’s too easy to over work paintings sometimes. 

J: Absolutely. Sometimes, there's just a feeling of knowing when something is complete. I can relate to that with writing. What are some of your favorite mediums and techniques to use?

S: Paint is my favorite medium! I work with pretty thin layers of paint, and when I’m using acrylic paint, I will mix with water, and rarely will use a medium. I have used Golden brand’s Retarder to help slow the drying time a bit. I love oil paint, too. I do use more medium with oil paint just to make it more loose and lower the viscosity. For the “lean" layers, I use odorless mineral spirits. I also love Galkyd Gel to help thin the paint a bit and speed up dry time. Linseed oil is great for the “fat” layers.

J: What's one of your favorite paintings to date? Why?

S: One of my favorite paintings to date—such a hard question! I think I might have to go with "Float On". What I like about it is a combination of things: 

-I took the reference photos myself and combined them together to create this painting. This felt like a new thing for me and I feel proud with how it turned out. 

-It came out fairly easily for me, not too much “struggle” along the way.

-The end result is a combination of loose brushwork in the water and very tight details in the people. I think it shows a range of what I love to do, which is paint representationally but also convey a feeling or motion. 

J: I really like that painting! Are there any painters or art periods that inspire you?

S: Painters that inspire me—absolutely! It’s interesting, what will usually motivate me to paint is seeing other paintings. Kind of like watching a cooking show might make you want to cook or eat, or an instructional workout video might inspire you to get up and work out—that’s something that works for me. I’ve always been SO inspired by Chuck Close’s incredibly photographic way of drawing and painting portraits. I love his work. Wayne Thiebaud’s use of color and his compositions are so expert and beautiful to me, also. Of course Monet and Van Gogh are brilliant, as well. In college, I discovered Egon Schiele and fell in love with his style. A lot of living artists inspire me daily—Sari Shryack, Ashley Longshore, Tom Croft, Lucille Smithson, Tim Horn, Alai Ganuza, Felicia Forte, the list goes on and on.

J: Great answer! I spot some favorites of the Three Panels Press team and some new names that I will be looking into. What's your favorite time of day to create? Why?

S: My favorite time of day to create is first thing in the morning. When I was just starting to paint regularly again during the covid shutdown in March 2020, I would set my alarm for 5:30am and have coffee, and go down and paint right away! I loved it. It’s dark and sleepy at first and there’s so much quiet and specialness in having that alone time in the morning. Then, slowly the sun rises, birds start chirping, and I’ve got so much energy. It’s a fantastic way for me to start my day! Realistically though, with two kids in school, I can’t do that anymore. Ha ha! So now I think my most productive time of day is between the hours of 10am-2pm. I’m sure once the kids start driving themselves to school, I will go back to those early morning painting sessions, though.

J: How do you define success as an artist?

S: For me, success is so many things. There’s success in being able to create freely, and for people to connect with what you’ve made. There’s success in setting a goal for yourself and achieving it. Success in just getting down to the studio and making something even if it isn’t any good. Connection is a huge one for me. I’m a very introverted person, so if I make something and I’m in my own world while making it, and then that thing goes out into the world and connects with other people, that's huge success! Also, real talk, when I’m able to provide financially for my family in any capacity, that feels like a huge success and validates me and what I do big time.

J: Such a great answer. I agree. Connecting with people through my work is a huge one for me, as well. What do you hope that people take away from your art?

S: I hope that people will take those sparks in life from my art. Those moments that are all around us, those beautiful things, that’s what I want people to feel when they see my artwork. 

J: Well, I will tell you that I get sparks from your work! Why is art history important today?

S: Art history is important today for the same reason that world history is important today—it’s our foundation and where we come from. Artists react to what’s going on in the world and use art to translate those events into feelings. It is valuable to learn what artists in the past have done for the art world today, and incredible what they have gone through. As well as techniques that have been around for centuries!

J: Is there anything else you'd like to share?

S: I think I’m all talked out! ha ha! Maybe I’d like to say that I very much feel like I am still just starting out in the art world today—I had a late start after college graduation in 2006 to now in taking the leap to creating art full time, and I am excited to see where my next step takes me—whatever that may be! I’m still trying to figure out what I want out of my art practice. Painting is something I absolutely love and must do no matter what, but turning it into a business is a whole different approach and way of thinking. The possibilities are endless and that can be a little overwhelming to think about sometimes. I can’t wait to find my place in the art world!

J: I love that answer. Where can we find you and follow along with your journey? Do you have any events or special things coming up that you'd like to share with readers?

S: You can find me on instagram @SarahHeinbaugh_art and Facebook @Paintings by Sarah Heinbaugh and my website www.sarahheinbaugh.com.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Sarah. I have learned so much about you and your journey. I think you are amazing and I am sure that more of our readers will engage with your work.