Sandy Palasti
In this issue of the Art Seen Magazine, we talked with Sandy Palasti, visual artist from North Carolina, USA.
Can you share more about what prompted your transition from healthcare to art and how your background in medicine influences your artistic process?
In the sanctuary of my studio, I celebrate the colours and the chaos and those parts of me that live selfishly. It’s a place where experimentation is not just encouraged, but celebrated – a stark contrast to the rigidity of my former life in surgery. In the operating room, there was no room for error, no space for spontaneity. Each incision, each suture, followed a predetermined path – a necessary adherence to protocol in the world of medicine. But in my studio, I am free to explore; the canvas gives me permission to expose my whole self.
Memories play a significant role in your creative process. How do you translate your personal experiences and fleeting memories into visual elements within your artwork, particularly through your use of colour?
Music plays an integral role in my work. Much like synaesthesia, the music brings up vivid imagery. The first few bars of a particular song lead to an instant flash in my brain, a portal to another time and place in which I can remember every colour, every feeling: the wail of the electric guitar evokes memories of summers spent cruising down open highways, wind whipping through my hair and freedom in the air; the harmonies of King’s College Choir singing O Holy Night transport me instantly to midnight moments rocking my newborn daughter. Yet, as Istand before my canvas, I am faced with the task of translating these vivid images into abstract form. The energy and gesture of my brushstrokes can capture the kinetic feelings of a specific moment in time, and through layers of impasto and sgraffito, I can paint the essence of my teenage self – the rebellion, the romance, the confusion, the sheer exuberance.
Sandy is featured on the Art Seen, Issue 12 published in May 2024. Grab your copy and read the full Q and A.
Visit www.sandypalasti.com to learn more about the artist.