Amid travels, studio classes and a series of varying engagements, I’m informed of an impending deadline before the first visitor of the day. I open the gallery early, and make preparations to receive guests. One morning each week, I clear my itinerary and welcome visitors to stop in, sit and talk awhile over coffee. All summer I’ve enjoyed this tradition. It has presented me with unique opportunities to become better.. Read More

This Spring, the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art debuted the Sarah West Artistic Mentoring Program in participating local Alabama schools, providing area school children with the opportunity of Fine Art Education and Cultural Arts Involvements beyond their school day. As Smiths Station Alabama’s premiere fine art destination, the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art has continually aspired to increase culturally relevant and educationally sustainable opportunities for our community and.. Read More

Sustainability Recently I drove down some familiar Alabama back roads to visit a farmer. On the drive, I turned to Michele West and said, “if I could determine the outcome of this farm visit, the one thing that I would hope for most of all is to simply meet someone with a purpose-driven, passion and commitment to their cause for the right reasons. I want to know that someone else.. Read More

Community Journal Enlightened by modern times we grow more aware of the faith placed in technological devices and varying outlets of communication. We live in an age with more access at our fingertips than any generation before, and daily a headline or article reminds us that we possess the power to use those resources to our advantage. If we do employ these inventions for their utilitarian use, they might propel.. Read More

The Sarah West Artistic Mentoring Program for Continued Fine Art Education announces a milestone event this Spring. As part of the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art’s Cultural Arts Enrichment Initiative, gallery founders, Sarah West and Michele West have aspired to offer more to the community, state and region in the realms of Culturally Enriched Opportunities and Involvements, surrounding the arts. Each year the artists strive to integrate new experiences.. Read More

Wonderland It was a cold night in the mountains. Like many nights, I turned the car and headed south along the Tuckaseegee River. The last of the evening light paled in shades of blue. The air was thin and balmy, and laced with chimney smoke from nearby cabins. Near the river basin in Soco Gap, I looked up and saw what appeared to be another wildfire. I was driving. So.. Read More

The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art is honored to announce the launch of the Sarah West Artistic Mentoring Scholarship for Continued Fine Arts Education. In the Fall of 2017, Sarah West & Michele West of the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, will begin a long awaited endeavor as an extension of the gallery’s continuing Cultural Arts Enrichment Initiative Program. The Sarah West Artistic Mentoring Scholarship will afford area.. Read More

Living History along America’s Scenic Byways originally published via The Citizen of East Alabama | 2013 Autumn leaves began their parade as the car hugged each curve along the Crooked Road. The Crooked Road is in fact a crooked road which winds its way through Virginia, crossing the Tennessee line near Damascus. In my opinion, it’s one of the best places to take in early fall colors. The colors drift.. Read More

Bookends | Art Walks This morning I began arranging various images, pinning them to the studio wall which flank my latest works in mid-progression. For each new work the studio undergoes a new and different metamorphosis before the painting can begin. Through this “nesting phase,” I collect articles, compose sketches and print selections from my photo journals, and establish a series of related images, all of which appear on this.. Read More