North Gallery
Sarah Hearn
Connecting Constellations of an Intangible Universe
November 17, 2008 thru January 11, 2009
Oklahoma City artist Sarah Hearn explores the connection between art and science and is constantly inspired by new scientific discoveries.
Connecting Constellations of an Intangible Universe is a body of work exploring the parallels between the artist tinkering with scientific equations and the scientist tinkering with the systems of the universe.
In her artwork, Hearn fuses elements of geology, physics, biology, genetics and paleontology as conceptual building blocks to fabricate new relationships between these scientific fields. This giant game of “connect the dots” began with Hearn collecting old maps, charts, blueprints and any other relics of scientific measurement that she could find.
“These papers that once served as attempts to chart, diagram and quantify nature, now have new life as conceptual backgrounds for my drawings. These backgrounds represent the ambivalence I feel about human interaction with the natural world,” Hearn explained.
After selecting the appropriate background, Hearn creates a detailed drawing comprised of numerous layers. Once complete, she coats the drawing with oil and bakes it in the oven. This process makes the paper semi-transparent with a tinted orange cast like that of a color film negative.
“Although I can control what colors will result in the final image, the variables of the drawings themselves, the paper types I use, and the length of time I bake each image creates subtle alchemic surprises in the final print. This element of controlled chaos serves as a constant reminder that science will never harness complete understanding of the natural or technological world.”
A native Oklahoman, Hearn received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions in Tulsa, Norman, Oklahoma City and Santa Fe. Hearn is actively involved with Oklahoma arts organizations including the Individual Artists of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, Untitled [ArtSpace], Living Arts of Tulsa and DeadCENTER Film Festival.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information contact Amber Sharples at 405.521.2931 or amber.sharples@arts.ok.gov.
The North Gallery is located on the 1st floor of the State Capitol and open daily from 8:00-5:30.