A C E L E B R A T I O N I N S I L K
Coats by Singular artist - Valentin Arrellin
Step into Artist Sarah Nolan's Gallery/Studio - tucked into The Plaza Galeria in downtown Santa Fe - and be ready to be blown away. When I was invited to drop by and take a look, I didn't expect the artistry that turns a simple silk coat into a hand painted wonderland of color and design.
A transplanted New Yorker, Nolan entered the Art Couture world by chance after being in corporate America for a number of years as a 'fixer' - turning around under- performing companies. On a whim she hand painted a golden silk coat to wear to a corporate event where the usual attire, she says, was predictably conservative. In a room full of blue and black suites, her painterly coat turned heads, and to her surprise and delight, six women commissioned coats.
A business was launched, showcasing her own designs and those of other talented artists invited to turn silk coats into wearable art.
A transplanted New Yorker, Nolan entered the Art Couture world by chance after being in corporate America for a number of years as a 'fixer' - turning around under- performing companies. On a whim she hand painted a golden silk coat to wear to a corporate event where the usual attire, she says, was predictably conservative. In a room full of blue and black suites, her painterly coat turned heads, and to her surprise and delight, six women commissioned coats.
A business was launched, showcasing her own designs and those of other talented artists invited to turn silk coats into wearable art.
T H E G A L L E R Y - S H O W R O O M
Quilt coat made from a hand woven Oaxaca table cloth..beautifully symmetrical...
Native American SINGULAR Artists
Felted wool embellishment adds a singular decorative element...
Unique artisan accessories too...
T H E S T U D I O
A wonderful space, just behind the main gallery/showroom.0
When Sara left the corporate world and began making art, she would forage junk yards for interesting objects to paint and then stamp onto paper, wood and fabric. She fell in love with the medium and decided to go to India to learn wood block printing. She met artisans there who could carve anything and began commissioning them to carve her designs. The studio walls are filled with hundreds of these beautifully-carved wood blocks, what she calls her visual vocabulary.
She even had the pattern of her own hand carved onto a printing block. And she still uses her found objects to create arresting designs on her silk coats.
An old heating grate...
Large work tables dominate the space and she uses wooden patterns- slipped between the front and back of the coat - to create
a flat surface to make the design/stamping process easier.
Here Sarah is showing me an original design that will be
sent to her collective of artisans in India to hand paint and reproduce in a limited
edition for the Gallery.
T H E T E A M
Santa Fe's legendary gallerist Jane Sauer (standing) with Artist Sarah Nolan posing for the camera during my gallery/studio visit. Jane is now working with Sarah to create her 'brand' and market SINGULAR COUTURE to a sophisticated audience. A dynamic duo I'd say...
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AND YOU'RE INVITED TO A SPECIAL OPENING
IN CELEBRATION OF
SPANISH MARKET
Showcasing the work of Hispanic Artists
Israel F. Haros Lopez and
Valentin Arrellin
(wearing one of his creations)
Friday, July 28th - 5 - 8 pm
66 E. SAN FRANCISCO ST. - SANTA FE
PLAZA GALLERIA
415.259.9742
