Single Player Game

Sarah Ernst

September 6 – 28

Opening Reception Saturday Sept 6, 4 – 8pm

Embrace by Sarah Ernst, oil on canvas, 36x36

At one point in time, the world was mostly monsters. Legions of fantastical things existed outside of ourselves that were for the most part, unknown. Being creatures who make sense of things, we dedicated ourselves to understanding them. We categorized them, named them, and even found profound respect and admiration for them. Sometimes this was because of their destructive capabilities, instead of despite them. We challenged entropy and sorted our world. Then there were wolves and whales, and fewer monsters.

Equally important is the fact that there is a legion of things that exist inside of ourselves that are for the most part unknown. Mining oneself to get to know and name those things is an arduous task. It is also every bit as rewarding as knowing that the loud creature that has been tailing you with sharp teeth and claws is just a dog, and will turn out to be your best friend.

Monsters are only stories of things we try to understand in their context and ours. I paint monsters.

Jack n Sally, oil, pastel on canvas, 48x36

The Translator, oil on canvas, 48x48

Sarah Ernst is an artist, curator, museum professional and advocate for all things that help right the boat of life. She was born in Wyoming and currently works in Virginia. She received her Bachelor’s in Studio Art from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA in 2010 and her Master’s in Visual Arts from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA in 2019.

The work in Single Player Game comes out of little epiphanies Ernst has had doing mundane life tasks while navigating complex life events in the wild world.This work is gritty with a sense of humor and unveiled honesty. This work is created by cobbling seemingly unrelated elements into compositions that become deeply relatable visual conversations.

Visually, these paintings present themselves as a damn good time.

Sarah is a single mother of two adult children, and a third who happily still lives at home as well as many, many dogs and cats. She enjoys collecting 1972 Chevrolets, home renovation, paddleboarding, yoga and any adventure she can take her dogs on. In addition to making art and curating exhibitions, Sarah is the President of the Greater DMV Women’s Art Caucus and the Exhibitions Chair for the National Women’s Art Caucus.