Artist Story: Sarah Kaiser

Sarah Kaiser, Fit In, 2005

I think that my experience has involved a little of both scenarios. Starting out as a young adolescent, I knew I had an affinity for art making when I would rather stay home painting in my basement than figuratively ‘paint the town red’ with some of my peers. When I took the Myers-Briggs personality test in high school, I had to answer silly questions such as “When confronted with a bird, would you rather a) dissect it, b) draw it, c) build a cage for it, or d) analyze its DNA.” Admittedly, the test was so long ago, that I can’t formulate the questions accurately, but regardless, my results for that test steered me towards a creative field.

I chose to be an art major at Miami of Ohio. At that stage, I was consciously molding my life around art, as I had to withstand the constant pressure of friends and family who would ask, “What are you going to do with an art degree?” or “Are you sure you don’t want to study a more practical field, like business?”

However, I threw myself into my program, and developed a very vivid inner life that was completely satisfied with my insular, and somewhat introverted existence. Their barrage of questions never derailed me…even though they did cause me to change my major several times. I tried on many different hats in my attempt to satisfy my parents.

Now that I have completed my MFA and have been out of school for 5 years, I think that the tables have turned. Currently, I teach art all day, and come home to my studio where I paint in the evenings and on off days. Naturally, I subconsciously mold my art around life. Feeling somewhat established and rooted in my practice, painting has become an automatic reflex, which seems as elemental and necessary to me as breathing. I no longer have to convince my family and friends that this is an activity that I must pursue, as I have proven to them that I can earn an adequate (albeit somewhat meager) living wage, and they can see how happy I am to have followed my dreams and achieved my goals.

My study of art and art history has definitely complimented my practice . After studying Robert Rauschenburg in an undergraduate art history course, I achieved a greater understanding of what it means to use art materials from life, that reflect life, and (ironically) celebrate the beauty of all of the detritus that surrounds us. During that period of my life, I had set up a studio in a run-down, abandoned apartment building in Fort Collins, Colorado. The wallpaper was peeling, and there were little indicators of the previous occupants, such as baby shoes, warped umbrellas, and an old claw-foot bathtub. The studio space was so compelling that I eventually began collaging the bits of residue into my paintings, and photographing the space. The photographs had an eerie, ghostly presence.

My work naturally reflects my life, which is steeped in art. The topics I teach my students seamlessly weave into the work I focus upon in the studio, as they inspire me as much as I inspire them. I guess life has come full circle.

I’ve met many teaching artists who have a hard time balancing life and art. Teaching can be quite demanding—physically, but more so mentally. As a practicing artist, I find it vital to avoid taking on more than I can handle. I need to prioritize my studio time since it’s hard to remain balanced without it. In sum, I try to practice what I preach without getting too burned out. To strike a balance, I have had to give up some of my part time teaching gigs, but I must remember not to spread myself too thin.

Sarah Kaiser is a painter/printmaker originally from Cincinnati, OH. She came to Chicago in 2000 to pursue an MFA at the University of Chicago. Since her graduation in 2003, she has been teaching a mixture of studio art and art history courses at various schools around the city. These schools include the American Academy of Art, Harold Washington College, Harper College, The Hyde Park Art Center, and Lill Street Art Center. In 2006, Sarah acquired an MA in art history from the U of C.