On Teaching Yourself, Painting And Time: Sarala Kasbe

In anticipation of our upcoming markets, we’re touching base with a few of our vendors.

Today, we’re talking to painter and creator Sarala Kasbe.

ABOUT SARALA KASBE

Sarala Kasbe is an Austin, Texas based painter and creator. She was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up in Raleigh, NC where she spent her formative years. In 2015, after receiving her B.A. in Communication at Meredith College, she moved to Boston, MA for a job in marketing.

The pandemic in 2020 sent a sent a shock wave through her world. The ground beneath her shifted and for the first time in her life, she asked what was important to her based on goals and passions she was prescribing entirely herself. Through this, she decided to change the way she lived by abandoning the plan laid ahead of her by others and instead, pivoting towards a road with no map, guided purely by her instinct and curiosity. She now resides in Austin, TX as a full-time artist.

Sarala has been painting for four years and has sold originals, completed four residential commissions, and been a part of a variety of showcases and exhibits. She is a self taught POC artist and believes the best way to learn is through making mistakes without fear.

1. Describe yourself with three emojis.

〰 🌊🔥

2. What does being a creative person mean to you? How do you claim your creative identity?

I like to pull colors from past paintings into new ones. Oftentimes, they are colors I am not fully connected to yet, or out of my comfort zone. I bring them in patiently, listening to each color, finding the authentic meaning within it. I also allow myself to be free in my painting process, and I have no boundaries or rules when it comes to the technical aspects. My recent pieces have a mix of acrylic combined with cold wax and oil textures mounting around the softer movements the acrylic liquid makes in the canvas. Blending mediums this way helps break down my own weakness, regrets, and anxieties. The patience that oil requires is a metaphor for how I see life: a journey with many layers.

3. Looking back on the last year, what have you learned from your business or creative work?

Never taking “no” for an answer. If you want something, go grab it. If it’s not meant to be, that’s only a sign there is a better opportunity out there.

4. Describe the feeling you get when you make something new that’s in line with your vision.

Like I am coming up for air—breathing and feeling again after shutting down and being numb for a few days.

5. How do you get into the headspace to make something new?

I often start my studio practice sitting on the floor, looking at a blank gessoed canvas I have prepped the day before, and melt into a soft, slow meditation. A cup of tea will be in hand. A candle burning in the corner. Music playing in the background; often Nils Frahm, This Will Destroy You, or Novo Amor—artists I have become attached to for quite some time now.

Time is relative. This beginning physical process of becoming attuned to my present feelings takes about an hour. I’m an introvert at heart, so to physically comprehend my headspace is a big part of my art process. In between painting a piece, I typically like to let my mind settle by going for a walk around the historic neighborhood of Clarksville in West Austin, where I live. I let the cool breezy air, the natural warmth of the sun, and the silky smooth water of the Colorado River soothe my mind of what I have just processed inside onto canvas. I typically come back with a new vision for how I see the piece, and either paint over the whole canvas or sections, leaving imprints of past paint or metaphorically emotional memories of life seen within the piece.

6. If you could collaborate with any vendor on The Front Market lineup, who would it be?

Catie Lewis.

7. What do you hope for the future of Texas?

I hope for more love and acceptance.

8. What has the word “community” come to mean to you this last year?

Meeting other artists and building the conversations of why we create; when art spoke to people for the first time; and how creating helps others’ creative motivations.

9. What are some of your goals for 2022?

A few projects are currently lined up in the new year—I have pieces being displayed at Medici Roasting West Lynn and Kerbey Lane UT the first quarter of 2022. I hope to expand this and be involved with retailers and other event / co-working spaces for others to see my work. I have quite a few collections available on my site, some of which are represented by the worldwide gallery RedDot Culture and met/gal art + advisory in Austin, Texas. Commissions are also available upon request.

10. How does painting keep you grounded?

Painting helps express something inside that cannot be successfully communicated in any other way. As an emerging abstract artist seeking connection with myself, I've found my work registering on an emotional level. Through painting, I’ve begun to find a sense of purpose and self-compassion. Paint is the one constant I hold onto to keep moving forward and to connect with external surroundings. The process of creating art has provided a huge release and freedom for me over the years. Allowing myself to use the canvas to express internal growth is an external manifestation in and of itself.

11. Any tips on carving your own path?

There are no mistakes. Go all in and explore what’s either inside you or your surrounding environments to capture something unique. Be true to yourself. Don’t try to replicate someone else’s work. Continue to mix ideas together, make movements with a palette knife, take risks with new mediums that are foreign, and dwell in the feeling of just being.

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Future Front TexasDecember 8, 2021Comment