Meet Victoria Sauer | Oil painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Victoria Sauer and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Victoria, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
I wanted to answer this question, mostly to bring attention to the fact that even though conventional advice may be helpful 90% of the time, everyone everywhere is different, and lives different lifestyles, and has different needs and priorities in their artistic practice. A very common piece of advice to artists is to ALWAYS be working, maybe even working on multiple things at once. I personally can’t live by that standard, and I think that’s perfectly okay! My work takes a toll on me, mentally and physically, and I often take a couple months in between big projects to recoup, relax, invest time in other hobbies. This way, I’m well rested and re-energized when it comes time to dive back into a new piece.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an oil painter primarily, and I typically work in a hyper-realistic manner with elements of surrealism intertwined. So my imagery may look “real,” but pushed just beyond the bounds of our reality. I attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for undergrad and received my BFA in Painting & Drawing in 2020.
Finishing school and graduating in the beginning of COVID was a massive challenge and letdown for students, as it was and still is for many individuals all over the world. But a few months later, I began my year-long residency fellowship at Stove Works, a Chattanooga residency, gallery, and arts organization. It was lovely to live and work there for so long, making so many incredible connections to other artists and art lovers. But now I’m moved back into my Chattanooga home with my two roommates, and I work out of my bedroom as a little studio space–and I actually love it!
Website: victoriasauer.com
Instagram: @victoriasauerart
Other: email: victoriasauer@icloud.com
Image Credits
All images of paintings courtesy of the artist. Portraits of me: Kat Friedmann Josh Simpson William Johnson