Residency Dates
31 March – 1 May 2025
Artist Images
Residency Images
Testimonial
"My time in Xenia aligned with the beginning of Spring. I witnessed the world around me become green and full of blossoms. Even the grassy footpaths had flowers that bloomed in the morning and closed with the setting sun. Each morning I raised the blinds to the bright blue sky in my wall full of windows. The birdsong was cacophonous, telling me to wake up and be ready to join them. During my days I focused on making a body of abstract works on paper that evolved and became aligned in theme as the days wore on. Having hours and hours of open time each day to focus sped up the progress I made in developing my paintings. Rather than stopping and starting with 3-4 hour painting sessions, I was able to work as long as the moment took me. Starting another as soon as one was completed and having many in progress at one time. In doing this, the timeline opens up and what would take months can take only weeks. The influence of being surrounded by nature calms me and allows my thinking to be more fluid. I took long walks enjoying the footpaths that wind all throughout the property. Hares, deer and pheasants would cross the path in front of me. They seemed to appear as though to invite me to continue. I have attended several residencies and have learned to extend the feeling that is created in that environment. I am finding it easy with my time so far after Xenia to tap back into the feeling of ease and focus that I found there. The feeling of being fully immersed and always thinking of my work in the world around me. In what I read, in what I see and all of my waking hours. It all seems to feed into my paintings. Eroding the line between my work and my life until they become one. "
Bio
Born
1975,
Ohio,
USA
About
Sarah Brenneman lives and works in West Orange, New Jersey. She received her degrees in painting from Columbus College of Art (BFA) in 1998 and Virginia Commonwealth University (MFA) in 2000.
Sarah has had several solo shows including with Gold Scopophilia (Montclair, NJ) in 2020 and with Jeff Bailey Gallery (New York, NY) in 2011, 2006 and 2004. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally, most recently with Garvey I Simon (New York, NY) in 2024 and 2023 and La Grange Gallery (Reims, France) in 2022.
Sarah has been awarded residencies with Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2000), Millay Colony of the Arts (2003), Chashama (2004-2005), Virginia Center for Creative Arts (2021), Liquitex-Just Imagine Residency (2022), VCCA, Moulin à Nef, Auvillar, France (2023) and Xenia, North Hampshire, England (2025).
Sarah's work is included in several private and corporate collections, including The Aspen Contemporary Art Collection, Citigroup, Cleveland Clinic, Sprint, and The Progressive Corporation.
If you would like to know more about Sarah, please visit her website: www.sarahbrenneman.com
Residency Dates
31 March – 1 May 2025
Artist Images
Residency images
Testimonial
"My time in Xenia aligned with the beginning of Spring. I witnessed the world around me become green and full of blossoms. Even the grassy footpaths had flowers that bloomed in the morning and closed with the setting sun. Each morning I raised the blinds to the bright blue sky in my wall full of windows. The birdsong was cacophonous, telling me to wake up and be ready to join them. During my days I focused on making a body of abstract works on paper that evolved and became aligned in theme as the days wore on. Having hours and hours of open time each day to focus sped up the progress I made in developing my paintings. Rather than stopping and starting with 3-4 hour painting sessions, I was able to work as long as the moment took me. Starting another as soon as one was completed and having many in progress at one time. In doing this, the timeline opens up and what would take months can take only weeks. The influence of being surrounded by nature calms me and allows my thinking to be more fluid. I took long walks enjoying the footpaths that wind all throughout the property. Hares, deer and pheasants would cross the path in front of me. They seemed to appear as though to invite me to continue. I have attended several residencies and have learned to extend the feeling that is created in that environment. I am finding it easy with my time so far after Xenia to tap back into the feeling of ease and focus that I found there. The feeling of being fully immersed and always thinking of my work in the world around me. In what I read, in what I see and all of my waking hours. It all seems to feed into my paintings. Eroding the line between my work and my life until they become one. "
Born
1975,
Ohio,
USA
About
Sarah Brenneman lives and works in West Orange, New Jersey. She received her degrees in painting from Columbus College of Art (BFA) in 1998 and Virginia Commonwealth University (MFA) in 2000.
Sarah has had several solo shows including with Gold Scopophilia (Montclair, NJ) in 2020 and with Jeff Bailey Gallery (New York, NY) in 2011, 2006 and 2004. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally, most recently with Garvey I Simon (New York, NY) in 2024 and 2023 and La Grange Gallery (Reims, France) in 2022.
Sarah has been awarded residencies with Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2000), Millay Colony of the Arts (2003), Chashama (2004-2005), Virginia Center for Creative Arts (2021), Liquitex-Just Imagine Residency (2022), VCCA, Moulin à Nef, Auvillar, France (2023) and Xenia, North Hampshire, England (2025).
Sarah's work is included in several private and corporate collections, including The Aspen Contemporary Art Collection, Citigroup, Cleveland Clinic, Sprint, and The Progressive Corporation.
If you would like to know more about Sarah, please visit her website: www.sarahbrenneman.com
© 2020 Xenia Creative Retreat | Hampshire, UK
© 2020 Xenia Creative Retreat | Hampshire, UK