Collection: Sarah Whitfield

Whitfield grew up outside Austin and spent several years restoring old adobe and plaster buildings across the Southwest before turning to painting full-time — work that left her with a lasting interest in texture, aged surfaces, and the way material builds up over time. Her canvases start with heavily textured grounds, built up almost like plaster or wall render, before she introduces a small number of considered marks on top. She works slowly and physically, often on the floor, sanding back between layers so the finished piece feels weathered and lived-in rather than freshly painted. She treats restraint as a skill in itself, often removing more than she adds. "I'm not trying to fill the canvas," she says. "I'm trying to find the one or two marks it actually needs."