“Night Woods” by Diane Sarr
When you hear the term “mixed media,” what comes to your mind? Maybe you see vibrant oil paints blended with acrylic, or instead a collage with little paper graphics. However, for some, contemporary quilting may come to mind.
While contemporary quilting often features bold, modern designs that immediately catch the eye, local artist Diane Sarr adds her unique touch by incorporating subtle, hidden details into her work.
“Surprisingly enough, the map component in my work is what is often missed by viewers. I have often been told they did not see the map at first,” she says. “In my recent endeavors, the stitching is often missed…The subtleties can often be overlooked.”
Sarr’s exhibition “A Stitch in Time” will be displayed at Blakely Hall throughout April. Come meet the artist during a public gallery reception on Sunday, April 6, from 2–3:30 p.m.
The gallery showcases rustic, minimalist landscapes featuring captivating geometric patterns. The shapes are combined with intricate stitch lines and fragments of Washington State maps—a hallmark of her signature technique.
Sarr’s interest in art began at an early age with basic watercolors. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from Michigan State University, followed by graduate studies at the University of London. After an art residency and involvement with a local gallery, she moved to the Pacific Northwest.
So far, her impact in Washington includes many years of graphic design as well as art docent work and teaching in public schools. To further her art expertise, she has studied at the Pratt Institute, Gage Academy and Acrylic University in recent years.
She is a signature member with Puget Sound Group of Northwest Artists, and active with other local organizations such as the Camano Art Guild and Mt. Si Artist Guild. Diane’s artworks can be viewed year-round at the Art Gallery of SnoValley in Snoqualmie, which is hosting an exhibition at Blakely Hall in May 2025.
Over the years, Sarr adopted an interest in mixed media art. She first learned about contemporary quilting with fabrics at a workshop led by graphic designer David Hastings. Intrigued by this medium, she found the art form to align with her abstract work. After the workshop, she continued doing a series of small abstract designs with curved stitching, then slowly started incorporating greyscale maps into the scheme.
“Night Fall” by Diane Sarr
“Juxtaposing my images with maps is a subtle suggestion of how man and nature coexist,” she notes. “My choice of medium in these works include watercolor and/or ink with a map in color or grayscale in the negative spaces. The map becomes part of the palette while hinting at civilization’s imprint on our surroundings.”
Eventually, her focus expanded to larger works representing the shifts in seasons and exploring humanity’s presence in our natural world. Sarr says these subtle (and not so subtle) influences of humanity are seen in “Roof Top Gardens,” “Night Woods” and “Winter Walk”—where maps are used to portray tree trunks.
“Stitching paper is a culmination of crafting and fine art utilizing my design and printmaking background. Like quilting, the stitching holds the composition together with linear detail,” she says. “Reducing the imagery into shapes is reminiscent of serigraphs and collagraphs in the printmaking process. Bringing all this together in a unified and balanced composition speaks to my exploration and studies in fine arts and design.”
Arjit Singh is a member of the Highlands Youth (HY) Advisory Board and a Wisteria Park resident.
