Sarah has what every mother needs (Article in Vancouver Sun, November 1970)
February 19, 2021
Sarah McLoughlin has to be the envy of all mothers. She has exactly what they need every once in a while-a place to hideout. Every Tuesday and Wednesday she takes the phone off the hook, puts a Do Not Disturb sign on the front door, goes up to the second floor, and pulls down a folding staircase that leads to her attic studio. Once up the stairs, she closes the trap door and concentrates on her painting. Sarah is an artist, and on these two days, she shuts herself off from the rest of the world and just paints.
“I fight a losing battle with house, garden, children and the dog. and this is my way of keeping the world from crumbling down around my ears,” she said. Her weekly solitary confinement is productive - work was exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery Annual in 1965, the Federation of Canadian Artists’ Annual in 1965 and '68. she is represented in local and eastern collections. Currently, until Dec. 12. she is having showings at the Arts Club. 1181 Seymour. Club hours are noon to 2 p m. and 8 p.m. lo midnight.
One of seven children of retired Rear Admiral H. F. Pullen. Sarah was born in Malta and went to school in Halifax. Ottawa and Victoria. “We lived a mobile life/* she says, “but you adjust to it” A graduate of the University of British Columbia, she studied art at night while attending school by day. She has no formal art training. “It’s embarrassing," she says. “I think formal training counts a lot." She admits she went to art classes primarily to paint, not to learn, she describes her work as impressionistic. “If I do a painting of False Creek, you are not going to be able to pick out Johnston Terminals in the background. “Some people say my paintings are like Tony Onleys. I studied with him, but I hope I’m not derivative. I’d rather be my own individual.
“I’m accused of painting just greys, but that's what I sec. K I were in Mexico with all that colour, then I would paint colour, but I don't see that here." Sarah started painting in earnest a few years ago because "I was fracturing a lot of time.” "Until the children were in school 1 really couldn't go at it seriously. It was frustrating because I knew I could paint and that I had something to say. "For years I spent time looking at buildings, light in the sky. and I sketched. I painted from that. I look for landscapes when I'm driving - I'm composing paintings all the time." Sarah also does a few pastel children’s portraits - usually for friends. * I do the portraits from photographs, but so often the children don’t really look like their photo I have them for a sitting to correct the colouring, but even that little time is a strain for kids. The pastels take time, and I much prefer landscapes.”
It takes organization to work at a career from home, and Sarah has her time pretty well spaced out for her weekly two-day paint-in. "On Mondays 1 do all the grizzly things that have to be done, such as grocery shopping. phone calls, laundry and the dentist.” Outside her front door is a box of gardening tools and equipment "Gardening is not grizzly." she claims. "It's sort of mind-cleansing. I enjoy pruning and carving out space - it’s creative. I try to get the utmost out of the space in my garden with continuing blooms.”
Even about with asthma last spring did not keep her out of her garden. “Isn't that a dumb thing to get in the middle of your life?” She was 33 last Tuesday. At the moment she is being defeated by her young puppy. Parsley, which she hopes is a Collie. Sarah says that on weekends her family, which embraces lawyer husband Brian and children Michael and Margo, do their own thing. “My thing is not cooking. Oh. I'm an adequate cook, but 1 don't really like it. I don't mind paying money for time- savers. and we re regulars of Ernie's Kentucky Fried Chicken. “My husband’s a keen skier, so we take lessons up Grouse and we walk the dog. and of course, there's always the garden.”
The McLoughlin living room is almost child-proof with attractive furniture covered in white plastic leather. “Not the rug though.” Sarah sighs, “the kids are always spilling something on it and then there's the puppy.” With everything else, she is busy making Christmas gifts now. “With six brothers and sisters and their families, you have to do some things yourself,” She says thoughtfully: “Wouldn’t it be just great if you didn't have anything to do - if everything that had to be done was done?” And then she adds brightly: None of the things I do are crucial or important, but they do take up time.”
“I fight a losing battle with house, garden, children and the dog. and this is my way of keeping the world from crumbling down around my ears,” she said. Her weekly solitary confinement is productive - work was exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery Annual in 1965, the Federation of Canadian Artists’ Annual in 1965 and '68. she is represented in local and eastern collections. Currently, until Dec. 12. she is having showings at the Arts Club. 1181 Seymour. Club hours are noon to 2 p m. and 8 p.m. lo midnight.
One of seven children of retired Rear Admiral H. F. Pullen. Sarah was born in Malta and went to school in Halifax. Ottawa and Victoria. “We lived a mobile life/* she says, “but you adjust to it” A graduate of the University of British Columbia, she studied art at night while attending school by day. She has no formal art training. “It’s embarrassing," she says. “I think formal training counts a lot." She admits she went to art classes primarily to paint, not to learn, she describes her work as impressionistic. “If I do a painting of False Creek, you are not going to be able to pick out Johnston Terminals in the background. “Some people say my paintings are like Tony Onleys. I studied with him, but I hope I’m not derivative. I’d rather be my own individual.
“I’m accused of painting just greys, but that's what I sec. K I were in Mexico with all that colour, then I would paint colour, but I don't see that here." Sarah started painting in earnest a few years ago because "I was fracturing a lot of time.” "Until the children were in school 1 really couldn't go at it seriously. It was frustrating because I knew I could paint and that I had something to say. "For years I spent time looking at buildings, light in the sky. and I sketched. I painted from that. I look for landscapes when I'm driving - I'm composing paintings all the time." Sarah also does a few pastel children’s portraits - usually for friends. * I do the portraits from photographs, but so often the children don’t really look like their photo I have them for a sitting to correct the colouring, but even that little time is a strain for kids. The pastels take time, and I much prefer landscapes.”
It takes organization to work at a career from home, and Sarah has her time pretty well spaced out for her weekly two-day paint-in. "On Mondays 1 do all the grizzly things that have to be done, such as grocery shopping. phone calls, laundry and the dentist.” Outside her front door is a box of gardening tools and equipment "Gardening is not grizzly." she claims. "It's sort of mind-cleansing. I enjoy pruning and carving out space - it’s creative. I try to get the utmost out of the space in my garden with continuing blooms.”
Even about with asthma last spring did not keep her out of her garden. “Isn't that a dumb thing to get in the middle of your life?” She was 33 last Tuesday. At the moment she is being defeated by her young puppy. Parsley, which she hopes is a Collie. Sarah says that on weekends her family, which embraces lawyer husband Brian and children Michael and Margo, do their own thing. “My thing is not cooking. Oh. I'm an adequate cook, but 1 don't really like it. I don't mind paying money for time- savers. and we re regulars of Ernie's Kentucky Fried Chicken. “My husband’s a keen skier, so we take lessons up Grouse and we walk the dog. and of course, there's always the garden.”
The McLoughlin living room is almost child-proof with attractive furniture covered in white plastic leather. “Not the rug though.” Sarah sighs, “the kids are always spilling something on it and then there's the puppy.” With everything else, she is busy making Christmas gifts now. “With six brothers and sisters and their families, you have to do some things yourself,” She says thoughtfully: “Wouldn’t it be just great if you didn't have anything to do - if everything that had to be done was done?” And then she adds brightly: None of the things I do are crucial or important, but they do take up time.”
