Sari Cecilia Arts Artist Statement

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina my family and I migrated to Melbourne, Australia when I was three.
I have a rich ancestry of Italian, Spanish and Latin American cultures. Having being raised by parents who were both from in rural areas, I was taught the value of country life and family values. I have always been close to the natural world and have had a deep respect for the land.
During art school I formed an interest in the anthropology of indigenous cultures of Australia and Indonesia. These interests lead me to paint and travel around the world absorbing knowledge and a love of people and their cultures. I supported my love of art, travel and cultures for 10 years by teaching art in primary and secondary schools around the world.
Having the life of a traveling artist made small scale paintings and drawing my most immediate mediums to use. I had a few special brushes in my suitcase which I took everywhere and I found I could purchase acrylic paints and canvasses from almost every city I inhabited.  There are very few things you require as a solo travelling artist and I decided that if it didn’t fit in my suitcase, I probably didn’t need it. Not only was I becoming aware of how simply I could live, I was also seeing what was really important to me in my life. Things started to become clearer to me.
In my experiences I noticed again and again that regardless of country, race or creed, people are just looking for ways to feel happy, accepted and loved.  I also knew that these were things that I also wanted for myself in my life and in a metaphysical and abstract manner I found ways to express these feelings of compassion, joy and love into my art pieces.

I have chosen to make the mountains of North East Victoria, Australia my home and it is here where I am creating sculptures inspired by my abstract paintings; my mother’s unconditional love; my own motherly love as a teacher and the true essence mother: Mother Earth.
My current series of sculptures is entitled “Mother Earth: Memories of Mother”.
It is a reflection of my memories of all the warmth and love I have received from all the families who have welcomed me into their life like a daughter/sister while I was travelling. The series also expresses my gratitude of my own mother’s love for me and all mothers who love unconditionally. The feelings I have about a mother’s pure love and all the memories I have experienced have been abstracted to its purest, simplest forms in my sculptures. They are ultimately all a tribute to the source: Mother Nature, the greatest mother of all.

Sari Cecilia