Book Review: Rhinotopia Beginnings: The Art of Sarah Soward
“I accidentally wrote a book. That’s how my life goes, though. I fall into things and end up reveling in them while learning as much as I can.” (Sarah Soward)
I am a fan of the artist Sarah Soward’s, so when I found out that she had a book collection for her work, I was thrilled. One of America’s most important new artists, Sowards work and use of color is just phenomenal and always leaves me with a lasting impression of each piece that is cemented in my mind forever. Each painting transports me outside of myself and into her world of the Rhinotopia.
Rhinotopia Beginnings is a collection of the first thirty-eight oil paintings in Sarah Soward’s Rhinotopia series. A Prolific artist, this collection is of paintings that Soward has amassed are of Rhino’s who are put into landscapes/locations where they would not normally be seen, to help drive home the important message that rhinos still exist, should exist and that they should exist everywhere.
This work establishes a link between the rhino to the sacred that is foremost Soward’s series. Paintings like “Devil by my Side” are visceral. You can feel the painting in your guts. Colors play your emotions, like in the painting “Part of me” that has a majesty that holds your attention like a command. To add a layer of secular connection to the work…
