Sarah Danays

Looking on the Sunny Side: I met up with England-born, LA-based artist Sarah Danays on a beautiful afternoon in California. A day full of inspirations and treasures. Enjoy. 

The Elements of an Artist: Sarah was kind enough to display several pieces for me that she uses in her sculpture. An antique doll's hand, a piece of coral, and an exterior piece of a temple are some examples of items that she uses together, or with her own stone sculpture. Each piece has a story. 

On cloud nine: On the right is an example of Sarah's stone carving work that she has paired with a delicate bluebird. Sarah first makes a prototype sculpture before carefully carving Italian stone (such as alabaster or marble).  After the sculpture is completed it is then photographed (as seen on the left).

"Bluebird" (2012) 

The photography really examines all of the angles of the sculpture, and each angle has a different story. Imperial. Humorous. Mysterious. One sculpture with so many sides. 

"San Guan Water" (2010) 

A Calling: Each antique piece is carefully selected, or better yet, each piece carefully selects itself. Sarah gives a second life to the items that she feels drawn too. This particular piece comes from a fallen statue. When she saw the piece at auction she knew she had to have it. The only problem? It had already been scooped up. Obviously it found its way to her in the end. 

When I was talking to Sarah about her work, I felt I could be speaking to a surgeon about a particular surgery they specialize in. In this collage we can see the operating table and her tools.

The Objects of Beauty

Divine intervention: This ancient diviner is in good hands thanks to Sarah. The sculptures can take months to complete.

"Diviner" (2012) 

Inspiration Comes in Many Forms: the hand on the right is a sharp contrast to the previous. It appears in her piece "Stigmata" (2009). Sarah described being attracted to the strong emotion that the hand conveys. 

Scope of Work: The collage on the right shows how much work goes into examining size and angles for each piece after it is finished. Pictured on the right is a prototype sculpture. The whole process is a labor of love.

Nameste: There is a strong connection between the physical world and the spiritual being in all of Sarah's works. "Tara" (2011) 48" x 48"

The Bright Side: Sarah is part of a vibrant community of LA based artists. I would like to thank her for showing me around I had a beautiful time with her.