"Sarah Isenhart is interested in transformations. Quiet, nimble - dedicated, but defiant, her needle punctures, rips through the surface - ruptures what was, making what is to come. It is in these careful moments of conversion that objects take on a new life. Acknowledging the tradition of women's craft, in this series she shadows the conventions of embroidery - meticulously hand-stitching each image, dedicating hundreds of hours of exacting labor. Confronting the 'decorative', and once again challenging the separation of art and craft, the artist is chiefly concerned with process. Only in such a painstaking enterprise can one ultimately gain a sense of mastery, or experience the gratification that such reflective practice often reveals." -B.Hudak

As an artist I find that I am drawn first and foremost to materials. Both in their original forms as well as the manipulations that they can undergo to achieve another status. By taking items that have a tactile familiarity and presenting them in familiar, yet unexpected ways, they create a new dynamic. The hard and the soft, the pliable and the rigid… when put through a process, can find a balance and a dialogue that allow for these materials to transform.
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In these pieces I find new worlds and landscapes of texture and volume. The process of altering an inflexible planar surface through embroidery and the shaping of textiles, evokes both a long history as well as builds a new meaning.  I enjoy the different emotional and physical responses that certain materials can elicit. The challenges and opportunities that the use of new materials can provide allows for self-growth and exploration into processes heretofore unexplored. - Sarah Isenhart