“Affected Color” by Sarah Bumbalough
Drawn into the world of the visual arts by the call of freedom of expression and individualism, Indianapolis artist Sarah Bumbalough presents her first show at the Harrison Center this month in Hank & Dolly’s Gallery.
Bumbalough’s show, titled “Affected Color,” hangs saturated in sound, as it were. “Sound inspires my work,” Bumbalough explained, “What you intentionally listen to, or even overhear every day affects you. Sound has a great impact on me because I’ve struggled with hearing issues off and on my entire life, so being able to experience sound is something I don’t take lightly. Because of this, I want everyone to have a way to access sound, so my work seeks to capture the audible in the visual.”
Bumbalough’s work stands characterized by the use of highly contrasting color that yields a sort of minimally pixelated, abstract spectacle for the viewer. As a self-proclaimed synesthete, or one who has experienced the sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, Bumbalough has literally created her work by translating sound to color. In this mystical, neurological process she would sit down with her palette tied to a piece of music playing on repeat. With these elements in order, the formation of the piece would begin.
Through the creation of this body of work, Bumbalough has worked to continually refine her style, and it shows. “In this work, I’ve found that I am leaning more and more toward the realm of the abstract, which is something I never foresaw myself doing,” she said.
Artist Sarah Bumbalough’s work hangs in Hank & Dolly’s Gallery through January 30th. When you stop by to take a look at Bumbalough’s sound-inspired paintings, be sure to bring your favorite piece of classical music along with you and see the music in her colors.