STUDIO SPACE: Sarah Rocheleau

I am an artist from Cincinnati, OH.  I graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Illustration from the Art Academy of Cincinnati. That same year I received an Award for Excellence in the Visual from the Independent College and Universities of Ohio. Since 2013, I have been working out of my studio at the Pendleton Art Center in Over-the Rhine, Cincinnati. My art is on display in Studio 414 in the Pendleton Art Center and also on display at MiCA 12/v in Over-the-Rhine. My work has been featured in two motion pictures. I have instructed art privately, in after school programs and fine art centers. I paint, sculpt, draw and digitally collage artwork inspired by my fascination with historical fashion, the natural world and philosophy. I create to enhance and elucidate the underlying structure of my personal life the world around me. 

Location: 1321 Pendleton St. Suite 200 Cincinnati, OH 45202

Website: rocheleauart.com
On the Drawing Table: Barking Deer Diorama  
Coming out soon: An Art Show Amatory Matters, April 8^th, 2016 6pm-9pm

3^rd floor of York St. Café, 738 York St, Newport, KY 41071

How did you get your start as a professional artist?

In 2012, I had my art featured at a store MiCA 12/v at the corner of 12^th and Vine in Over-the-Rhine. I had graduated 2009 from the Art Academy of Cincinnati but my career really didn’t take off until that show.

Describe your work. 

My work is whimsical, spooky, detailed and evocative. Its full of imagery from the Victorian time period and animal human hybrids .

Tell about your workspace. 

It modulates between, clean and absolute chaos. A paper whale shark hovers over the room suspended from the rafters. The walls are lined with book shelves full of art books and crammed with curiosities. There is an old anatomical model of a male torso, a collection of geisha dolls, various shells, coral and a bird’s nest. Three desks are covered with various projects from sculpture to sketching. An easle stands at attention with a newly started oil painting. 

 

What are your favorite materials digital and traditional?

 My favorite traditional materials are colored pencil, water color, oil paint, polymer clay and paper. My favorite digital media is Photoshop. It lets me use a Victorian scrapbook as a source for a collage without destroying the original.

The Operating Table

What’s your typical workday/work session like?

I try to be at work by 8am and make myself coffee. I try to journal for the first half an hour and figure out what my project priorities are for that day. From 9am-10am, I answer e-mails, work on promotions and apply for different art opportunities. From 10am-11:30am I begin work on my most pressing project. If there is a yoga class at the YWCA I walk down to the gym for a class from 12pm-1pm. If there isn’t an yoga, I take an hour for lunch and get back to work. I try work from 1pm-5pm on different projects. I try to not work on anything for more than two hours because I find I become too micro-focused. I mix it up to get some perspective. From 3pm-4pm I will run and swim at the gym if there was no yoga earlier in the afternoon. At 5pm I either go home to cook dinner or if I’m in a good groove I continue working to 8pm. 

What do you do to keep yourself motivated as you work?

 I set clear deadlines for myself. If there isn’t one I make one up for myself. I look over them every morning and drink copious amounts of coffee. I imagine the relief of having a piece of art brought to completion. I also will go to the zoo, conservatory or art museum to sketch and get out of whatever rut I’ve found myself in.

What is your dream job?

A dream job for me would be designing the look of a film or theatre production. I’d love to breathe life into the world of a story.

 

Do you keep a sketchbook? 

 Yes, I do. I rarely reread something I’ve written. I use my sketches for reference, particularly for the dolls.

 

What do you listen to while you work?

I listen to classical music in the morning to wake up, college lectures in the afternoon to keep myself thinking, Amy Winehouse to run, documentary or audio book in the afternoon. If I work late I listen to some angst ridden alternative rock or gaudy pop music to stay awake.

What are you reading/listening to on Audible?

Just Finished “Women Who Run With Wolves,” I’m finally starting the to listen to the “Harry Potter,” series.

Who are your artistic influences?

Heronemous Bosch, Victorian Dioramas and Scientific Illustration

What do you do that is not art related that inspires you?

I’m interested in history particularly the Victorian time period but my interests are not restricted to that era. Yoga relaxes me, lets me think clearly and get the kinks out of my neck. Writing does similar things for my brain.

What was the best advice you got in your career so far?

 Get prints made.  It’s gotten my art that way to more people than I possibly could with the originals.

What is your favorite color?

My favorite color is iridescent blue, like on a Blue Morpho Butterflies wing.

How can we get best follow your art online/on social media?

My website is: rocheleauart.com

My Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/rocheleauart/