Sarah-Faith Strait is from Mount Gilead, Ohio. She earned her B.F.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, with concentrations in painting, drawing, and printmaking. She later received her M.F.A. in Studio Art from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Strait has exhibited in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Maine, and Virginia, and her work is found in collections throughout America. The most notable collections are Ohio Wesleyan University, art critic and historian, Martica Sawin, Sara Vance Waddell, and The Woodberry Forest School. Strait is a recipient of the competitive Three Arts Scholarship Award. Strait currently resides in Ohio, where she continues her studio practice.

Artist Statement:

My current work combines two personal obsessions: the horse and ways of seeing. More specifically, my work is motivated by the many levels on which one can perceive the horse — both as an animal and conceptual symbol — as well as our perception of visual phenomena, such as motion, space, and color with the human eye. 



The making of my work involves putting the motif of the horse through various material processes that abstract and fragment its form. My goal is to create dynamic arrangements of form and space where decisions are guided by notions of the horse within the context of movement and time. When creating, I often embrace spontaneity and occasional serendipitous “accidents.” Additionally, I do not force myself to adhere to any strict rules, allowing myself the freedom to intuitively follow actions and materials that excite me, even if that means a painting diverges to some degree from the rest. This potential for visual range within my work keeps my process engaging and playful for me as a maker.


The transformation that the horse undergoes in my work leads to images that continually surprise me and provide me with fresh perspectives on my subject. While my initial motivation is to make paintings of the horse in motion, it is through this process that the image of the horse becomes more complex and nuanced than the usual ways in which we are accustomed to seeing it. In my work its image becomes emotional, and possesses a compelling, lively energy that is connected to nature. I feel that these abstracted gestures create space for more sensitive and thoughtful perceptions of the horse, as well as a potential for empathy with it.