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In 1984, the author stood on the bridge overlooking the pond of water lilies in Giverny, France, at the former home and gardens of Impressionist artist Claude Monet and found inspiration for her own artwork in the artfully arranged horticulture and meticulously landscaped surroundings. For the next three decades, Sadlon worked intermittently in her studio on abstract versions of her observations at Giverny. Transforming these visual inspirations into precise mixed media creations, the artist presents a unique collection that showcases her perspective through shape, color, and form. Her complicated and nonlinear strokes routinely intersect and tangle, yet each line remains identifiable, solitary among the chaos.
The intricate assembly of brush strokes and lines escalate in the piece “Weeping Willow” which the artist reveals in three separate stages, providing the viewer a behind-the-scenes look into how this piece evolved and transformed following the Paris terror attacks in 2015. What began with the use of light colors and lines that swirled gracefully on the canvas, morphed into a dark, mournful piece as the artist released her emotions into the work, visually displaying an intense representation of her anxiety. Just as Monet’s “Weeping Willow” series reflected his emotional response to the fallen French soldiers of World War I, Sadlon’s piece projects her turmoil over the tragic events in Paris occurring a century later, connecting these works through their artistic projections of grief and loss. Following the final stage of “Weeping Willow,” the author includes a quote by Duke Ellington: “You’ve got to find a way of saying it without saying it.” Sadlon does exactly this with each line she draws, revealing deeply personal compositions that document the relationship that occurs when art and life collide.
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