Art Talk with Sarah Zelinsky

I was first introduced to Sarah Zelinsky's mixed media work, Patio, through a mutual friend and immediately fell in love with her work. She lives and works here in our hometown of Austin, Texas, and I was thrilled to catch up with her in the studio as part of our new Art Talk series. Keep reading for more from Sarah...

How long have you been making art professionally?

I’ve been making art my whole life. After school, I went into a different field that didn’t align with my passion for art, leaving me with no time to create. This made me very unhappy, and I knew I had to make a life change. It’s been about three years since I decided to shift my focus and start making art professionally. I call myself a painter, but my process is a bit more than that. I paint on raw canvas, then form my paintings and join them together. Each finished piece contains several paintings. Because of this process, people often call me a textile artist. While I don’t weave or knit fabric, I do pay great attention to fabric and texture, which is a significant part of my process. I hold a graduate degree in art therapy, which has deeply influenced my understanding and approach to art. I make art for people who want to live with art and have it as a part of their lives. That being said, I don’t always know who will contact me for a new project, and it’s often something I haven’t thought of before. I love this part of the job because my art can end up anywhere next. (Sarah wears the Retro Stripe Charlotte in Blue.)

Did you always know that you wanted to be an artist?

I always knew! It was the only thing for me. I was always the “creative one.” I never gravitated towards sports as a child. Pretty much everyone played soccer in my hometown, but I was always the super quiet one, concentrated on coming up with new ways to do the craft projects. I remember one time at a camp, we were supposed to complete necklaces as part of the day's craft project. There was a specific way we were supposed to follow the instructions, but as soon as I picked up the materials, I saw a different way to do it. Everyone started doing the project my way after that, even the teacher. I was often too shy to freely talk to people, but I could get my ideas across through creativity.

If you weren’t making art, what would you be doing?

I tried not making art, it's not for me! I must be making art. It’s all I think about. If I was in a different job I would be daydreaming about shapes and colors all day. I do have other jobs and I do think about art the whole time. I can’t help it.

What inspires you right now?

So many things inspire me: the morning in our kitchen, old buildings, my fiancé’s yummy cooking, the way fabric falls on my favorite shirts, and the in-between moments waiting for something else. This is when all the inspiration happens. It’s always happening, so every simple moment is something.

Where do you create? Describe that space for us.

My fiancé, Noah, and I renovated our house together with a lot of intention, making it a space for living and creating. I have a studio at the house and have slowly started taking over more space. We’ve designed our home to be a little stripped down and more industrial in style, with cement floors and open spaces that make it ideal for art. Downstairs is a gallery for my work, which was Noah’s idea. I’m so grateful to have a partner who understands and encourages creating. It helps that he’s an incredible artist himself.

Where is your favorite place to be?

I have so many favorite places, but our home is by far my favorite! It’s a blend of both our styles and feels like a project grown from love. It all sounds a little sappy, but it’s truly how I feel.

Are you someone who prefers the comfort of returning to the same places again and again or are you always thinking of your next destination?

There are places I return to and many I want to discover. I enjoy traveling and having new experiences. I also enjoy visiting the desert and the water. I grew up on the shoreline of Connecticut, where the summers are very beautiful. I thought this was my favorite place until I moved to Texas and drove out to the desert. Now, I have two cherished places I like to revisit.

What kind of souvenirs do you bring back from your travels?

We go to estate sales everywhere. It doesn’t matter where we are, we’re going to an estate. I don’t often get anything too grand. I’ve been known to pick up a block of wood and a piece of bent metal and call it a successful day. My studio has a lot of funny looking wooden objects that I liked the shape of and picked up somewhere.

Which destination is at the top of your bucket list right now?

Japan has been on my list for a while. There is so much art and design in Japan that I want to explore.

How would you describe your personality?

I’m mostly very quiet unless you catch me at the right time or have known me for a while. Once I feel even slightly comfortable around someone, you can expect me to start narrating everything I do. I'm highly neurotic and anxious, yet also very laid-back and nonchalant at the same time. I think about colors, shapes, and design most of the time, and I enjoy making funny commentary on life's happenings, especially mundane events or social interactions.

What is the last book you read?

A 1961 reference book titled “How Does It Work?” by Richard M. Koff. I picked it up at an estate sale.

What is a skill that you are currently working on?

I’m not sure if it qualifies as a skill, but I've been working on finding joy in the in-between moments, those times that aren’t particularly enjoyable, like waiting at the DMV. Looking back years later, it’s always these moments I've tried to rush through that end up being significant. Actually, I think this is a skill. You need to train yourself to do this. Any moment that feels like a chore or an errand I’m rushing through, I take a moment to appreciate its uniqueness. I know you can do a lot of things online these days, but imagine never waiting in line at the DMV again. Think of all you would miss—the characters in line, the quirky way the person processing your request handles things. There's interest in every in-between moment. I’m really focusing on developing skills to slow down and notice these moments.

Which objects in your home have deep significance to you?

The front door of our house comes to mind. Noah sometimes wraps door handles with leather. He wrapped one for a restaurant, and they called him back soon after to wrap the new door handle because they ended up replacing the entire door. The door itself is a large, beautiful metal and glass structure. They ended up offering him the old door. He excitedly called me at work saying, “I got a door!” to which I replied, “But we don’t have a house.”

Later on, we did get that house, and we retrieved that door from storage. Miraculously, it fit within a tenth of an inch in our new home. The entire house was a major project, and we initially doubted that this door would ever fit, but it did. Noah later proposed to me in front of that door, which has become very significant to us. It still has red lettering on the glass indicating the hours of operation. We’ve always kept it because we like it. Sometimes people will stop by randomly and think our house is a business. I always say if they want to come in, have a cup of coffee and see some art, they are more than welcome!