Sabrina Piersol, a local painter and Aspen Art Museum employee, will have her solo show, “The Blue of It,” debut in Los Angeles, California this Saturday, June 29 in collaboration with the renowned art gallery Sow & Tailor.
Born and raised in an artistic household in Connecticut, Piersol said she has long appreciated creative expression but didn’t consider a career in the arts until college.
“I have always been an artist, but I didn’t start painting in any serious way until my undergraduate studies at Colorado College,” she told The Sopris Sun. “When I gave painting a chance, I knew I had found a language that made sense to me. Finally, I experienced a means of communication that felt easy for me to access and work through.”
She pursued a degree in studio art and classics at Colorado College and graduated in 2017. Piersol went on to complete her master of fine arts at the University of California, San Diego in 2023. Through her thesis presentation, she connected with Karen Galloway, owner and director of Sow & Tailor, and garnered a solo presentation at the Dallas Art Fair in April 2024 plus her forthcoming exhibition in Los Angeles.
“Karen and Greg [Ito] have been so supportive of me from the moment we connected — it was the first iteration of the kind of work that I’m making now that felt successful and resolved,” Piersol stated. “My work changes frequently, but I’ve found something that I’m enjoying and continuing to explore.”
Piersol expressed feeling thrilled and anxious about “The Blue of It.” This venture came at an opportune time. “I’m in an ideal position where I’ve answered many questions and have many ahead of me,” she said. “I have confidence in what I’m doing as an artist and believe this work is quite representative of what I aspire to do. It feels informed and exciting to me.”
Taking in her work, viewers can identify themes of nature, temporality, eroticism and nods to the classical Greek poet Sappho. Piersol identifies Sapphic poetry as an informative influence after she studied lyrical poetry with renowned Sapphic scholar Page duBois while pursuing her master’s degree.
“I’ve always gravitated towards abstraction, but I began to incorporate various explicit allusions to landscape imagery while considering the logic of Sapphic poetry during my MFA Program,” she explained. “With Sapphic poetry, we see emotional experience communicated through visceral, sensory language coupled with descriptions of nature. That, plus its fragmented nature, makes the work feel balanced between the real and imaginary worlds. I try to do something similar in my work, where it’s somewhat representational but still rooted in abstraction.”
Asked if she had any wisdom to share with aspiring artists, Piersol encouraged those seeking to create to learn how to trust their process and see how their work evolves. Additionally, she said that being able to both ask and answer difficult questions through one’s work can be validating.
“The deeper that you get and the way that your conceptual framework builds from your own experience and particular curiosities is what makes your voice,” she said. “To find it and to use it feels amazing. It’s the best way to cultivate a relationship with yourself and understand who you are, what you want to make of your life and see in the world.”
‘The Blue of It’ will be on view at Sow & Tailor through July 27, at 157 West 27th Street in Los Angeles. To keep up with what Piersol will do next, visit her website at sabrinapiersol.com