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Bio

Sarah Burford is a collage artist and painter based in Washington, D.C. She incorporates bright color palettes, natural landscapes, and archival photographs in her work to explore the complexities of memory, maternity, and care. Her work has been shown in exhibitions at Rhizome DC, with Phototrouvée Magazine, and published in the Smithsonian Institution’s Annual Report. Sarah holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College and an M.A. from Bryn Mawr College. She is the Chief Operating Officer of CANVAS and lives with her husband and daughters in Washington, D.C.

Statement

My practice brings together found photographs, natural imagery, and dynamic color in both representational and abstract works that explore the inner lives of women, caregivers, and families.

Inspired by the modernist aesthetics of Dada and Surrealism, I juxtapose surreal and natural imagery to investigate the intersections and intricacies of identity, parenthood, and maternity. Fascinated by the elusive nature of historical and personal memories, my approach is deeply influenced by my everyday experience, my study of art history, and by using art-making as a means of healing from trauma.

My paintings explore imaginary landscapes through bold abstraction, while my collages incorporate photographs, magazines, calendars, or public archival collections as primary source material.

In my collages, I most often use self-portraiture to explore the conditions of Matresence—the little-researched, documented second adolescence experienced by mothers—as well as archival portraits of figures who are anonymous or unidentified.

Through my practice, I seek to bring new narrative and emotional life to buried memories and unseen experiences.

Exhibitions

  • Procreate Project: Oxytocin, Collective Care; Science Gallery London, King’s College London (2023)

  • Art Doulas Project, Rhizome DC, Washington, DC (2021)

  • Memories of Love, Phototrouvée Magazine, online (2021)

  • Art for Mutual Aid, Capitol Hill Art Workshop, Washington, DC (2020)

  • Making New Connections, Frame of Mine Gallery, Washington, DC (2020)

  • Member’s Show, Capitol Hill Art League, Washington, DC (2020)

Press / Publications