Sarah Theobald-Hall is a visual artist based in Dallas, Texas. She maintains a studio in the Cedars neighborhood. Previously, she shared studio space at the Continental Gin during its final chapter as a beloved art complex.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My paintings reference collective longings, even as I choose subjects from a place of individual preoccupations. In the past, recurring motifs like rabbits, birds, and found objects allowed me to explore ideas around vulnerability and self-preservation. More recently, I became interested in capturing figures midmovement as they respond to unpredictable, shifting environments.

I typically alternate between painting from life or from photographs. In either case, I rely on a photographic process to compose an image. Then, I paint alla prima as much as possible to make the most of the gestural marks. After I lay down the first layers of paint, my past training as a writer and editor comes into play: I step back and decide how to finish. This moment is what I live for as an artist. It makes me sweat. It can take hours, or days or weeks. At this point, the painting becomes less about representation and more about dynamic storytelling that changes with the brushstrokes.