42" x 55"
Mixed media 2024
@sandra_crisante
It was an elementary school teacher who first called Sandra “an artist” and inspired her to reframe how she saw herself.
Sandra is a contemporary artist working in mixed media sculpture, drawing, painting and photography living in Hamilton, Ontario. Her work examines themes related to self, sense of place, memories, and the juxtaposed relationship between the natural and manufactured environments.
She was born in Italy and always wondered what her life would have been like if her family hadn’t emigrated to Canada when she was young. That yearning inspired her to study art in Florence Italy during her last year of high school. There, she saw masterpieces at galleries and museums and learned about figurative drawing, sculpture, fresco and mosaic techniques. She continued her studies in art and received an Honours Degree in Art and Art History from McMaster University, as well as a Bachelor of Education Degree in Art and Drama from the University of Western.
Sandra thrived as a part of the vibrant arts community and rented two art studios: one on King William St. as a university student, and later, one across from Gore Park. She was active in the art scene with the Hamilton Artists Inc. and exhibited in the Hamilton and Toronto area as well as in Italy.
Sandra taught Art and Drama in a private school, Canadian College Italy, taught Art in Burlington, Milton and Hamilton and was the Head of the Arts Department at both Glendale Secondary and Westdale Secondary Schools where she retired after a rewarding 33 year career.
Sandra has travelled extensively and in 2019, was selected as an Artist in Residence in a small southern town in Italy where she explored Napoli and the Amalfi coast. The rich environment soon became her muse and inspired her sculptural body of work.
THE STORY:
I explore themes of childhood memories, relationships, self, sense of home/place, balance and natural and constructed environments in my mixed media two and three dimensional body of work. Reliquaries, wings, roots, industrial towers and ladders are subjectively juxtaposed in my search for truth and understanding. The sometimes whimsical approach gives a nod to the figurative and organic forms and carnival-like themes.
My creative process involves sketching, taking photographs, writing, reflecting, and connecting concepts and materials to enhance the images and the stories that they tell. Text, collage, found mechanical and organic materials, papier mâché and a limited palette are all key to my artistic practice. I often move from one piece to another, in varying degrees of completion, like a dance. Large pastel and charcoal drawings, oil and acrylic paintings, welded metal suspended sculpture, whirligigs, masks and art in boxes have found a life in my studio.
For the “Tell Me A Story” exhibit, I reflect on the Red Thread Chinese proverb and my journey to my daughter in China. ‘A red thread connects those who are destined to meet…’
The acrylic painting is embellished with layers of drawing over the lightly painted wooden surface. It incorporates mixed media elements in the Chinese art of paper folding called zhezhi. I selected boats, since my daughter is from a place in China near water. Red threads connect the boats to the figure’s hands that pool past the painted surface. The hands turn red as the threads pass through them, leaving behind an intricate traditional Chinese pattern. The artwork is intentionally under-painted in parts to celebrate the intricate red pattern that symbolizes the power of the red thread connection.
*Please note: Purchased works are available for pickup on Sat. Oct 5th from 12-3pm, otherwise, arrangements will be made between collectors and buyers directly following the Art Circuit.