RED PAINTING Artist Statement

Sarah Anna, born in Illinois into a long family line of artists, grew up in the southern state of Florida till 1991 when she returned with her family to Illinois to continue her lifelong pursuit of art. An alumni of Columbia College, Chicago, Sarah Anna has fallen in love with the art of photography and has spent the past 15 years photographing people through lifestyles, fashion and stories. In 2007 she moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin to continue to pursue her love of photographing people. To tell more individual stories: she is now doing this through modern lifestyle and fashion wedding photography, lifestyle portraits and story photography.

She lived and worked teaching intensive English for a year in 2005-2006. Living and working in Osaka-shi, Japan brought a new exciting style to her creative process and life. Spring, 2007, her photographs of the Red Painting story were displayed at a Itoehn gallery in Osaka-shi, Japan. Along with lecture and workshop: “Who Am I”.

Red Painting was created upon her return to the states in 2006 in hopes to begin to expose the story of many people dealing with depression and cutting. Many people live with depression, with out getting help. It is not only those directly dealing with it but those surrounding that person. Many people themselves are afraid or ashamed to get help, family and friends many times live in fear or shame of help for years. I have known closely many people dealing with depression and cutting. I have known few who have gotten help - those few whom have found help, have also found a healthy life again. It is my hope with this project to bring hope and encouragement to those in need of getting help for themselves or someone they love. If you or someone you know needs help, please seek help and find hope.

In this exhibit Sarah Anna documents what she most enjoys: people and life in their natural setting. She captures life using a medium format Hasselblad camera which is a German made camera with negatives 2 1/4 x 2 1/4. Using Kodak professional color film 120/160NC, each print is then individually custom printed digitally on an Epson R1800, with its 200 year archival ink.