Influenced by the Byzantine period, Holladay Artist of the Month Sarah Winegar’s relief printing woodcuts depict the intangible world of spiritual Christianity.

Winegar draws artistic inspiration from her religious background which is evident in many of her artistic pieces. Her relief woodcut prints of “The Last Supper” bring human figures together flowing in unity, each with his own story to tell. The unseen feelings of the individuals are portrayed in the fine, detailed cuts in the wood.

Selected by the Holladay Arts Council as Holladay Artist of the Month, Winegar is an avid, intuitive artist as well as an exceptional athlete.

While attending the University of Utah, Winegar completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in printmaking. While completing her degree in art, Winegar played four years as an outside back on the U of U Pac-12 soccer team. 

When Winegar graduated from college, her passion for art and for soccer continued. She played in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) and served as the assistant soccer coach at Copper Hills High School. As she closed the door to the art world at the university, she felt apprehension about navigating the unknown road to a successful career in art.  

“When I graduated, I didn’t know if my art career would continue,” Winegar said. “Art brings a lot of joy into my life, and I could see that the art I created in college brought a lot of joy to the lives of others. I create art hoping it will inspire others to discover an interest they want to pursue.”

In college Winegar’s art was influenced by the Byzantine period, by Käthe Kollwitz’ bold black and white woodcuts and by Japanese woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e which translates as “pictures of the floating world.”

“I admire the German expressionistic artist Käthe Kollwitz and her woodcuts,” Winegar said. “Also, in one of my first introductory art courses in college, I was immediately inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and wanted to try to replicate the colorful everyday life scenes.” 

According to Winegar, woodcut printing is a process in which an artist selects a block of material, generally wood, and sketches an image directly on to the wood. The artist then seals the wood with varnish or shellac which allows the wood to keep its integrity and prevents the drawn image from being smeared. A selection of different knives is used to carve out the image. Ink is rolled across the surface but not in the non-printing grooves of the wood. The woodcut is then ready to print on paper. 

Winegar said she completed woodcut commissions for BYU and other entities. She sells up to eight editions of each print. Her art has been shown in museums as well as other venues including the Springville Art Museum and the LDS International Art Show. 

Painting with acrylics is another art medium Winegar enjoys. Her expressionistic scenes illustrate the playful day-to-day life of raising a family. 

After reading a bedtime story to her children and tucking them into bed, Winegar spends many hours drawing, carving and painting late into the night. When asked what motivates her to create art each day, she responded, “It makes me happy. It makes me feel fulfilled.”

Winegar’s artwork will be on display through March at Holladay City Hall.

If you would like to nominate a Holladay resident for Artist of the Month visit www.holladayarts.org/suggest-an-artist.