Sarah J Pavlik
Fiber and Mixed Media Artist
Sarah J. Pavlik is a contemporary quilt and mixed media artist living in Lewes, Delaware.
You are welcome to visit Sarah's studio by appointment or during the Lewes Artist Studio Tour which occurs on the third Saturday of September each year.
Sarah began working as a traditional quilter, drawn to fabric as a part of her identity growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota. As she became aware of quilts as “art” over twenty years ago and began to study with Quilt Artist Nancy Crow, she became driven to create original compositions in fabric. Fabrics are used like paint, with a wide range palette of solid colors and designed fabric required for her work. Sarah is inspired by abstract composition with shapes, lines, color and movement. Additionally, Sarah designs her own fabric by layering dye and/or paint with various methods resulting in a myriad of colors and textures.
Along with being a quilt maker Sarah is a mixed media artist utilizing a variety of materials including charcoal, pigments mixed with soy milk, acrylic, and oil, utilizing collage and paint experimentation with a variety of mark making tools. Continued explorations with stitch and mixed media have become an integral aspect to her work.
When beginning a piece, Sarah may start with a sketch or a motif or configuration but mostly works improvisationally. When making a quilt, pieces are not cut all the same size or necessarily planned. Sarah cuts lines and shapes with a rotary cutter, and places them on her design wall not knowing ahead what the overall composition might be. She works intuitively and allows the process to guide the outcome. Not knowing what will happen is the exciting part of Sarah's artistic process. Her goal is to create work that evokes movement, tension, and a viewer's desire to continue to look at the work.