Opens Sunday, June 29 

All are invited to meet the artist at 10:30 a.m. immediately following the worship service 

Reception at 11:15 a.m.–1 p.m. in the chapel

The Art Committee is pleased to present “The Spirit of Joy: An Exhibition of Paintings” by Sarah C.B. Guthrie, which opens on Sunday, June 29.  All are invited to meet the artist at 10:30 am immediately following the service.  A public artist reception will also be held 11:15 a.m.–1 p.m. in the chapel.  Refreshments will be served. 

Guthrie explains, “This exhibit brings together my 8+ year investigation into Joy—what it is, how to find it, and why we all deserve it—with my lifetime curiosity into spirit, faith, and existence.” She defines joy as “an optimism of spirit we all carry within us. It’s sparked through our actions and, unlike happiness, is not dependent on our circumstances to be felt. Paradoxically, we can feel joy at the same time we feel anger, sadness, and grief.” For Guthrie, spirit evokes inclusion, love, the sacred, community, and connection. She states, “I am pleased and grateful to exhibit these works of Joy in the heart of the welcoming University Unitarian Church community.”

Inspired in part by a recent trip to Japan, Guthrie brings shimmering metallic paint into her colorful abstracts to elicit the ethereal. Guthrie’s use of vibrant colors, combined with the orderly repetition of soft petal shapes, creates vibrant abstract paintings designed to evoke joy. A special feature of her process is that each mark contains dozens of slender lines of color. The marks engage the viewer in optically mixing the colors—inviting them into the process of creating joy through her paintings.

Guthrie immigrated to the States from England with her parents when she was a toddler. She holds an MFA in Visual Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA from The George Washington University, and a BA from Davidson College. Her paintings have been part of solo and group shows in museums, galleries, and businesses in Washington State, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Washington DC, including at the prestigious Phillips Collection and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. In Seattle, she is represented by Fogue Studios & Gallery in the Georgetown district. Her works are also held in private collections around the world.

For more information about the artist and her work, please visit her website at www.artistgu3.com. The exhibit will hang in the Chapel until August 1.