SEATTLE — After decades in the corporate world, working exceptionally long days for Amazon, Microsoft and AT&T, Veronica Sauer now leads the life of a free spirit
"What I love the best is just letting my inspiration come to me," she said," and I throw down paint."
She's an artist who lives and paints in the moment.
"I sometimes call it abstract fusion because I'm fusing the color into a realistic photograph," Sauer said.
At Catalyst Fine Art Gallery in Kenmore Sauer's portraits are immediately recognizable. There's one of Joni Mitchell, for instance. And yet, up close, the portraits are revealed to be layers and layers of often bright, cheery colors.
"I thought if I'm going to do anything, I might as well stick with something that I know and I love and that brings me joy because when you have an injury like that, it can be quite depressing," Sauer said.
The injury happened on a mountain bike ride in the Fall of 2016. Sauer broke her leg, ankle and foot in six places. Laid up, she returned to a lifelong passion, painting.
"Having that creative outlet was so important and that color was like getting flowers delivered every day," she said. "You can't be unhappy when you are working with color."
A favorite subject is Seattle native son Jimi Hendrix. There's already a portrait in Sauer's home. Now in her studio, another Hendrix emerges in the moment.
"And this is all feeling, you know?," she said as she painted. "It's that intuition. You can't plan for stuff like this sometimes. You see how his hair is flying out? I'm going to keep that. I'm not going to paint over it."
This is how Sauer breathes life and personality onto the canvas.
"You see how this color's coming through? That's what's really exciting to me!"
Up close all that color can be a lot to take in so Sauer often takes a seat to ponder from a distance.
"I really like how his hair is on fire," she said from a chair as she compared a photograph to the painting. "I don't want to touch it too much."
"So, it's just a fun perspective to be able to sit way back and look at it," she added.
Perspective. Sauer can share some of that when it comes to reinventing yourself.
"You have to be bold," she said. "You have to take it one step at a time and put yourself out there. One person gave me great advice: Don't do all the easy stuff first because then you're just left with the hard stuff."
During the pandemic Sauer had to reinvent herself a second time, adding pet portraiture to her resume.
"It's not easy and you're challenged all the time," Sauer said. "But they're so darn cute and then the owners are so grateful."
Such a colorful path may not be for everyone but Sauer says just being present in the moment is a great first step.
The Jimi Hendrix portrait seen in the story is for sale and there's a link on her website to commission pet portraits.
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