Memory Guide 4 | 15 "x11" | Mixed Media on Yupo ARTISTIC STATEMENT This body of work was created as a response to the quarantine period during the pandemic of 2020. Boyts Yoder found herself painting in an improvised, tiny backyard studio shed and like many, she was displaced and disoriented from what once felt familiar and safe. Color always communicates and these works represent just that, a desire to communicate and connect during a lonely time full of isolation and fear. When looking at these paintings today, especially when gathered together, she sees them as manifestations of what she wished for herself and for others, then and now. Talismans; to call forth shelter, protection, warmth, escape, luck, brightness, joy, guidance, color. That one of these works has found its way into the hands of ELEVEN SIX and the team of artisans, translating it into a beautiful new medium and object, reinforces all these initial intentions and I hope whoever wearing this gorgeous piece feels all that warmth, protection, guidance, color, and maybe most importantly, joy. BIO Sarah Boyts Yoder is a painter based in Charlottesville, VA. She received a BFA in painting from Eastern New Mexico University in 2003 and an MFA in painting from James Madison University in 2006. Since then her work has been featured in almost 50 solo and group exhibitions, numerous publications, and in corporate and private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Sarah has been the recipient of a professional fellowship in painting from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and has been a fellow and artist in residence multiple times at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 100 West Corsicana in Corsicana, TX and most recently, as artist in residence at Blue Apple Beach in Cartagena, Colombia.
