• “Thinking of Initiation & Lots of Fish”

  Oil on Canvas, 36" x 36", 2018

• “Tumbling Girl (2 of 2)”

  Oil on Canvas, 16" x 16", 2018

• “Tumbling Girl (1 of 2)”

  Oil on Canvas, 16" x 16", 2018

• “Little Bird”

  Oil on panel, 2018

• “The Facade”

  Oil on Canvas, 2018

• “Three Fellas”

  Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20"

• “Trigger Warning”

  Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20"

• “Anonymous Iconic”

  Oil on Canvas, 16" x 20" Honorable Mention at the 2018 Wisconsin Artists Biennial

• “Siblings or Cousins”

  Oil on canvas, 16" x 20", 2017

artist bio

Sandra Cipollone grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Hartland, Wisconsin. She received her BFA from UW-Madison in 1996, and currently lives in Milwaukee. Her paintings and prints have shown in Madison, Milwaukee, and Austin, Texas. She took a break from art for nearly a decade to focus on writing. Her poem, Confession, was published in the 10th anniversary anthology of the Austin International Poetry Festival. In 2014, she was offered studio space, and decided to restart her art career. She recently participated in the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network’s Mentor program, where she was mentored by Della Wells.

artist statement

I am taking source imagery from found antique photographs. My intention is not to exactly copy the images, which seems a little redundant, but to interpret them through inventive color schemes and brushwork. Photos of strangers in the past remind me of the cognitive dissonance I feel when looking at my own family photographs. Our family tree is a bit complicated, and even something as innocent as looking at our archives opens up emotional minefields. I’m not interested in nostalgia per se, because that is a (often literally) white-washed view of history. I want to leave the uncomfortable truths intact. By painting in an unnatural palette, I’m trying to share that queasy feeling with the viewer.