Rising Stars: Meet Jackie Sanders

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Sanders.

Hi Jackie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Of course, I am so excited to share my creative journey with your readers! For those who do not know me or my artwork, I am an abstract geometric artist with a community facing studio in downtown Raleigh! I am also a creative business mentor to other emerging artists as well as the cohost of the Level Up Artists Podcast, where we demystify the creative process and exchange ideas with fellow career minded artists.

But it has been a fun journey to get here and one that started when I was growing up in Baltimore, Maryland. I have always been drawn to geometric shapes and bold colors so on a mission to further explore this attraction and curiosity, I studied at Virginia Tech where I earned my BA in Studio Art, B.F.A. in Art History, and M.F.A in Material Culture and Public Humanities.

In 2016, I moved to Raleigh where I began to further explore the local art scene and figure out how I wanted to intertwine my creative practice with my identity as a working professional.

Then years later in 2019, I attended my first artist critique group at VAE (Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh, NC) where I connected with fellow local artists and began to figure out what being an artist “in the real world” could look like. My eyes were opened to the range of paths that the creative journey can take you on and how each artist defines success differently.

After creating work in my apartment, launching my website, blog, and online shop, and sharing my journey on social media, I knew that I still wanted to share my work with the world more. Connecting with others in experiences and conversations has always fueled my creative practice so, in July 2020, I moved into my first community-facing art studio at Artspace in downtown Raleigh!

Since then, I have moved into a larger studio within Artspace, been featured in multiple exhibitions throughout North Carolina, launched an art product line, and grown my collector base both online and in person. On a mission to demystify the creative process and connect with both fellow artists and art lovers, I also share a behind-the-scenes view of my creative process through my free weekly studio newsletter. You can subscribe through my website at: https://www.jaclynsanders.com/newsletter

In 2021, I also co-founded and launched the Level Up Artists Podcast! We release new episodes every Tuesday and they can be found on all major streaming platforms, including youtube! More information about the Podcast can also be found on my website too!: https://www.jaclynsanders.com/levelupartists

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The creative process is anything but linear. When you look back, every road bump has a purpose, however, along the way it is a winding journey for most creatives!

A big hurdle that I had to overcome was balancing my creative practice and art business with all of the other roles and responsibilities that I prioritize in my life. Especially at the beginning of my journey, I found it difficult to block off time to be creative. I knew growing a body of work was important to me but I felt as though I was constantly being pulled in a million different directions and my studio time was constantly being put on the back burner.

At that point I knew I couldn’t “wait for inspiration” but rather I needed to start scheduling and prioritizing the time to bring my vision to life. This also meant acting on the mindset of, “when you don’t have the time, you have to make the time.”

Having a day job that often required extended work days, and knowing that my evenings were occupied with sports leagues, social events, and time with friends and family, for me, prioritizing my creative practice meant waking up earlier in the day.

Now two years later, this early morning creative time is not only important to my creative growth but it is a practice that I fully leaned into with my recent collection – The Sunrise Series.

The Sunrise Series is a large-scale series of original acrylic paintings that are inspired by the sunrise, embrace the energy of the sunrise, and are painted a majority before sunrise (between the hours of 4 and 7 am EST).

In a world dominated by being “plugged in”, technology-driven, go-go-go, and multitasking, this series pushes back against that energy and leans into the stillness that can only be found in the early hours of the day.

This series embraces the stillness of the day when it feels as though the rest of the world is asleep. During this time, you can feel clarity in your mind, in your thoughts, and in the spirit of your energy; untainted by the technology world that we are immersed in; untainted by the media, by content, by the noise of the voices around us.

Before you are forced to “wake up” to the world around you, to the texts, emails, responsibilities, and the energy of others, there is a stillness of existing in a world that is all your own — in the pre-sunrise stillness.

In the Sunrise Series paintings the bold, dynamic, gestural, colorful marks lay the foundation for each piece, symbolizing pure untainted human energy that is brought to life with the stillness before sunrise. Then as the world wakes up sharp geometric lines are imposed on top of those gestural marks throughout the day, symbolizing the structure and routine of modern society.

Exploring the in-between and the inevitably linked relationship between these two realities of modern human existence, the layered elements both obstruct and bring out the beauty in one another.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Each piece of artwork that I make is one step toward my mission to transform life’s mundane moments into memorable experiences.

As I layer and manipulate abstract gestural marks with crisp geometric lines, each piece explores the in-betweens – the space between tension and calm, light and shadow, gestural and rigid marks, and the resistance and release of control.

Opposing elements pull your eye across the panel allowing the viewer to travel in between elements as they seek stability in the chaos. Encouraging others to actively choose the future they are creating, my mission is to help others feel more connected to their minds, bodies, and the spaces in which they exist.

As an abstract geometric artist, stories and ideas are at the root of my creative exploration which is why each work is titled with a question pulled from journal entries that I have written while the work was coming to life. Just as we as people are ever-evolving, so do our answers to these questions, and so does our relationship with the artwork we are looking at.

Examples of my recent work can be found on my website: https://www.jaclynsanders.com/artwork-portfolio

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Building a relationship with my past and future collectors has always been a big priority for me!
Especially now having a community-facing studio, I love sharing my creative space with visitors and then continuing that relationship with them through my free weekly studio newsletter.

As our world changes, people are more and more craving a deeper connection to their community and wanting to be surrounded by art that starts thought-provoking conversations (rather than just hanging up something to fill up blank wall space).

That is why in my newsletter I share exclusive behind-the-scenes video content from my creative practice, free upcoming events that community members can attend, and blog posts that highlight recent exhibitions and the conceptual ideas that influence my work.

You can subscribe through my website at: https://www.jaclynsanders.com/newsletter

Pricing:

• Art Products Range from $5-99
• Original Art Paintings Range from $45-1600+
• Level Up Artist Podcast is FREE on all streaming platforms (including YouTube!)
• The weekly newsletter is FREE, simply subscribe here: https://www.jaclynsanders.com/newsletter
• Public Speaking Opportunities – Prices Vary. Please Email for details.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jaclynsanders.com/bio
• Instagram: @JSandersStudio | https://www.instagram.com/jsandersstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jsandersstudio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEfWvmFXZZ6Z_SW2lMSwCg
• Yelp: https://g.page/r/CTv4hqbD1hgIEB0/review
• TikTok: @JSandersStudio

Image Credits
Sarah Ford Photography, (2021) and Jaclyn Sanders