Sarah Mcdonald Artwork

Artist's Bio

Sarah McDonald is a contemporary realism painter based in Squamish, BC, Canada. Known for her unique approach to focus and depth, she combines soft, airbrushed backgrounds with thick, layered foregrounds to create a striking three-dimensional effect. Inspired by photography, she plays with depth of field, using selective focus to create a sense of realism, allowing elements of nature to shift between sharp clarity and soft atmosphere. A self-taught artist, Sarah developed her technique through experimentation, blending fine detail with blurred elements to create movement and realism. With over 160,000 Instagram followers, her work has gained widespread recognition. Through her paintings, she captures a moment as if frozen in time, like a photograph in stillness, yet alive with depth and texture.

Artist's Statement

My paintings explore how focus shapes perception, what we see sharply, what fades, and how memory distorts details. Inspired by photography, I use an airbrush for soft, blurred backgrounds and thick, layered paint for crisp, in-focus elements, creating a subtle three-dimensional effect. By playing with depth of field, I emphasize the contrast between sharp details and soft atmospheres, making elements of nature feel both immersive and distant. This approach allows me to capture a scene as if it were suspended in time, like a photograph, yet textured and tangible. Through shifts in focus and depth, I invite viewers to pause and experience the stillness and movement within each composition.

Materials

My primary medium is acrylic paint. I use a combination of airbrushing and heavy body acrylic mediums to create depth and texture, and saturated hues to create vibrant contrasts of light and dark.

Inspiration

Living in the mountains there is an endless flow of inspirations, from cascading landscapes to wildflowers and bumble bees dancing in the wind.