Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Cardoza.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sara. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve drawn and made up my own stories for as long as I can remember, and have always been compelled to create both visual and written narratives. I spent most of my childhood building my own little “universes” to live within, developing characters, secret societies, and alter egos all complete with their own back history, detailed diagrams, and storyboards. This was especially important as a child within a military family that moved around overseas. I didn’t have control over many aspects of my life, but I could create stories and I could use art to create a sense of grounding around myself.
All of that early travel cultivated a deep sense of curiosity in others — their secret workings, their inner lives, their language and culture, and of course, their own narratives. That love for people translated into a deep love for the portrait, for capturing that glimmer of personal lore. I really enjoy capturing someone’s spirit in the form of the portrait and working within the bounds of realism to do so; however, illustration has provided a way for me to bend and play with the idea of story even further. As a result, most of my work bounces between the two.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s difficult to find steady work as an artist. It’s not a new beat, but the truth remains: most artists have to do other things in order to pay for the time their craft requires. This can sometimes create this sort of existential crisis: “Am I really an artist?” “Am I pushing hard enough?” “Is there room for me?”
And as someone who loves writing as much as painting and drawing, I also sometimes find it challenging to continue honing both sets of skills. But in the end, there’s only one thing to do: Get back to work. Because, in the end, there’s only one thing more terrifying than those questions above, and that’s not making the art inside you.
Sara Cardoza Fine Art & Illustration – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the others?
I specialize in custom watercolor portraits as well as illustration. Whatever I’m making, I always hope to curate a sense that something unexpected and extraordinary could happen at any moment.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I painted an underwater scene featuring two mermaids with these glorious afros sitting on a sunken car. The painting sold, and when the gallery contacted me to tell me someone had purchased the painting, they actually sent me a picture of her holding it. The woman who bought it could have been one of the mermaids in the painting. And I had felt as if she saw something of herself in something I’d made. At that moment it was if there was this sort of mystic thread binding us: this story, this art I created, and this woman who was moved by it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Photograph: Michael Orellana
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