SARA SALTEE - mixed media assemblage artist
Upon seeing Sara Saltee’s work, one is immediately drawn into the the intimate intrigue of images and words that form her assemblages.
Sara says: “My shrines and boxes sometimes begin with a central object, but most often begin with the words – a quote, poem fragment, lyric, or found snippets of text. Once I find some words to spark a direction, my crow-self begins sifting through my random assortment of papers, objects, and ephemera to see what bits and pieces might best bring to life the feelings and imagery the words inspire in me.
I hope the little worlds that emerge from my visits to this “otherworld” become places of inspiration, amusement, reflection, or delight for you, too.”
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10.5”h x 22.5”w x 2.5”d
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We the Creatures emerged from the deep admiration I felt for the people of Minnesota and Oregon who managed to infuse their deeply serious protests against abuses of power with acts of creativity, joy, humor and the spirit of loving community. I wanted to make a piece in that same spirit, and the result is this animal protest parade in which each animal speaks out about the issue that resonates best with their species, size, or special interests. The yellow colors, handmade paper bunting flags, and disco balls set a party atmosphere for the earnest creatures who simply want a world in which loving care and respect are extended to all beings.
Materials: Assorted animal figurines and toy vehicles; cut paper grass and bunting flags; miniature disco balls; acrylic paints. In found box with frame.
9”h x 6”w x 2”d
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This sweet little piece celebrates the power of loving partnership. The two horses stand on dry-looking ground against a simple backdrop of sky and clouds, but their devotion to one another gives them access to the wildly colorful field of love above their heads. They transcend the austerity of their circumstances and access a gorgeous, textured, lush life by co-creating a shared world of love that surrounds and uplifts them.
Materials: plastic horse figurines; altered watermelon basket; vintage tin candy dish; metal napkin ring; altered felt heart; refrigerator magnet poetry; assorted papers; glitter glue; acrylic paints. In rustic found box.
10”h x 9”w x 1.5”d
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Watering the Ancestors is a shrine to those who have gone before us but are not forgotten. It honors our tears of grief and loss as essential nourishment for the verdant field of love in which our lost beloveds now reside. The clock face in amber suggests the way in which our memories become time capsules; the lovely nun brings divine blessings (and sets the color palette for the whole piece); the orange “star” in the flower center brings another reminder of the life force that echoes through the universe across generations, and the little red heart inside the teacup suggests that we don’t ever need to stop making our offerings of love to those we miss so dearly.
Materials: altered oval basket; wooden stick; metal stick with leaf; vintage photo; miniature painting of a nun; cut paper moon and tears; watch face with amber glass overlay and paper flower; glass and plastic leaves; faux ivory rose; assorted beads and wires; metal can with altered center of a faux poppy; acrylic paints. In found box.
12”h x 9”w x 5”d
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Made of stardust, emerging from the cosmic womb, each of our lives is a true miracle. Origin Story plays with the notion that while our parents (represented by the tiny little figures perched on the moon) were preoccupied with their own love story, unbeknownst to them, the cosmic disco of conception has already taken place. Surrounded and protected by talismans including a bird, frog, cow, and fish and a watchful eye, the emerging new life floats through the universe in a snazzy, hand-woven nest. An umbilicus of light connects the nest to the moon-dwelling parents, and reflective papers and mirrors bring light throughout the deep box, illuminating the way for this new human.
Materials: Wooden moon; tiny human figurines and large baby figurine; sticks, assorted ribbons, and charms; mini disco ball; small mirrors, sequins, and reflective papers; star maps from vintage children’s astronomy book; acrylic paints. In found box.
13”h x 12”w x 1”d
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I was thrown for a bit of a loop recently when I received the unexpected news that my family and I had three months to pack and move out of our rental house. This move – the sixth for us in the last 20 years – brought up my deep longing for roots and a lot of anxiety about whether we would be able to find another place to live in a very tight and very expensive rental market. Making this piece became a way to remind myself that where we actually live is not in houses, but in our own shoes – the outlook and energy we bring to any place in which we find ourselves. So, while we may encounter times where our future feels like a big gamble of uncertainty, the truth is that any dwelling we end up occupying is a place where blooming is possible, and there is a part of us (represented by the crow on top) that can see far beyond the temporary freak-outs of life to the better future that awaits us.
Materials: ceramic crow figurine; monopoly houses and hotels; miniature wooden clogs; spice tin with astroturf and paper flowers; assorted maps and art papers; miniature tin car; dice; miniature wheels; watch face; acrylic paints. In round frame.
18.5”h x 8”w x 1”d
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It’s a Bird is the result of my funny little brain meditating on presence and absence, signs and signifiers. Every element of the piece insists that it is a bird – the feather, the picture of the egg, the poem fragment about a bird’s nest, and even the vintage metal printer’s letters that spell out the word “bird.” There are just a few whole birds present in the piece, but they are collaged in the background behind the central feather and nearly obscured by layers of paint. In short, it is a piece that insists on being bird and refuses to be a bird at the same time. The slippage between words and images and the things they represent, and the relationship between fragments and wholes is endlessly fascinating and all under the surface of this deceptively simple piece!
Materials: found feather; bird images from bird book; poem fragment; vintage metal printing press letters; altered jewelry with white beads; acrylic paints. In found box.
8”h x 6”w x 2.5”d
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This is a piece about the kinds of transformations that require us to retreat from the external world and spend time in the darkness. Like the little caterpillar that eats the plum (which reminds me of Eric Carle’s wonderful Very Hungry Caterpillar book) and emerges as a butterfly, we all go through private journeys that move us from one state of being to another, deep purple inner journeys that cannot be rushed or shared, but are ours to make on our own.
Materials: Plastic plum; metal butterfly; watch parts; spool; cut paper butterflies; vintage candy tin; bead lettering; teeny butterflies made for nail art; acrylic paints. In cigar box.
22”h x 16”w x 1.5”d
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This whimsical interactive piece invites the viewer to look closely at the array of little elements and use the abacus to count the things for which they are grateful. Are you grateful for McDonald’s French fries? Aliens? Baseball? Coffee? Your brain? Love? Tune into the spirit of thankfulness as you move the abacus disks from one side to the other. Could be a fun piece in a kitchen, bathroom, or child’s bedroom.
Materials: Abacus; assorted minatures and ephemera; plexiglass circles; art papers; “Reasons for Being Thankful” text from vintage Sunday School primer; acrylic paints. In cradled board.
12”h x 9”w x 1.5”d
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“Always try to keep a patch of sky above your life.” – Proust
I am captivated by the idea of motoring along the rocky ground of life in steady orientation to a little sliver of blue sky. Whether the sky is literally clouded over (as it so often is in the Pacific Northwest), or whether it is metaphorically clouded by depression or fear, Proust’s quote is a powerful reminder to keep searching for a little patch of light. I sourced the fragment of heavily-beaded red cloth from a Seattle artist who had leftovers from a large installation and enjoyed the way that the abundance of hearts and buttons somehow extended the aura of the sky into a glowing ball of love and life.
Materials: Altered tin car; silk-lined box lid; beaded cloth; silver pin; paper collage and cut paper strips; beads and sequins; acrylic paints. In cradled board.
12”h x 12”w x 1.5”d
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When the photo of this sweet girl came across my path, it seemed like it naturally belonged with one of the vintage metal roller skates that had been knocking around the studio, looking for a home. As we get older, we can forget how to access the happiness that comes so naturally to a child who needs nothing more than a Guinea pig and a roller skate to find joy. And, in a culture that prizes responsibility and seriousness, we can forget that “Being Happy is a Virtue Too.” This kiddo with her joy, her pet, and her skate, is here to remind us.
Materials: Altered vintage photograph; upcycled metal frame; vintage miniature metal roller skate; Guinea pig figurine; clay flower; upcycled jewelry; beads; cut paper; acrylic paints. In cradled board.
11.5”h x 4”w x 3.75”d
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“I will dive into my chaos and my Abyss will turn it into an art scene.” – Talismanist Giebra
In these chaotic times, many of us find ourselves tumbling into some form of Abyss – despair, confusion, darkness.This piece plays with the idea that we can choose to turn our tumbling itself into an art form, leaning into curiosity about the experience and using our creativity to transmute the pain of living into something provocative or beautiful.
Materials: upcycled wooden box with sliding panel; art papers; acrylic paints.
12”h x 12”w x 1.5”d
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Some time ago, the refrain from the Jill Scott song “Golden” entered my head and wouldn’t let go. This sparkly piece expresses the idea of living your life like it’s golden, radiating your truest gifts out through all you do. With the central golden being as a goldfish, the notion of golden living became intertwined with the notion of going with the flow, recognizing that the ever-moving water is your natural habitat.
Materials: Altered goldfish figurine; upcycled fluted cupcake tin; upcycled jewelry and beads; wooden bowl; gold plate; cut papers; upcycled tin lid; mirrors; acrylic paints. In cradled board.
14.5”h x 10”w x 3”d
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We all have moments when we outgrow whatever cage or enclosure has kept us safe and we find ourselves at the brink of stepping into a wider world. In the case of this little girl, she has been comfortable and cozy in her small world with her “World Book” to read. But a wildly colorful bird-friend has come to coax her to leave the book behind and experience the world in a more immediate way. With her basket full of what she’s learned so far, she stands poised at the threshold of a bigger life where she begins to notice that she is surrounded by all the keys she could ever need to unlock a fuller, richer, bolder life.
Materials: upcycled wooden box; assorted charm keys; vintage girl figurine; cricket cage; upcycled broken bird ornament; art papers; acrylic paints.
13”h x 16.5”w x 1”d
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This is a piece that asks us to leave behind the scientific “which came first” debate between chicken and egg and celebrate instead the incredible magic of the whole infinite biological cycle that includes egg, tiny chick, and big chicken. It is the wholeness of this cycle, not any one of the parts, that is anointed “king” in this piece. I love the way the buttons, bingo tokens, and wheels from a train kit evoke what the cellular world looks like through high powered microscopes, and I had great fun playing with the color gradations of the buttons.
Materials: folk art rooster, wooden eggs, embroidered chick, perfume bottle, altered doll house table, wooden game piece, gold coasters, straw coasters, buttons, metal containers, clay leaves, bingo tokens, plastic train wheels, acrylic paints.
12.5”h x 4.5”w x 4”d
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I seem to recall starting this box during tax season, a time when numbers inevitably start weighing me down and the ways my life doesn’t quite add up are highlighted. The David Whyte quote was a balm to my spirit and I loved the idea of this carefree guitar playing doggie perched (somewhat precariously) in a place high above the realm of numbers and math – the place of freedom, song and creative spirit that we are built for.
Box: vintage dresser drawer
Materials: altered dog and guitar figurine; vintage blocks; doll house stool; ½ apple box; beads; vintage addition primer; assorted papers; miniature dog and frog figurines.
12”h x 9”w x 1.5”d
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“Sight is a function of the eyes, but vision is a function of the heart.” – M. Munroe. While searching for a good way to use this beautiful silver filigreed vintage purse clasp, it occurred to me that, when open, it is shaped like an eye. With a little silver heart bead as the pupil, a story started to emerge about how when we look through the eyes of the heart, we can easily pick out the things in the world that echo love back to us, even when the world is busy and full of distractions. (Can you find all five silver hearts?)
Materials: Vintage silver filigree purse clasp; aluminum tin; plastic wheel; silver heart beads; wooden beads; plastic game pieces; cut paper; acrylic paints. In cradled board.
12”h x 10”w x 5”d
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This exuberant piece captures the primal elation I feel at the coming of Spring and expresses my deep sense of wanting to nurture our beautiful Earth - so I guess you could say it is part celebration and part prayer. The house-shaped box came to me with an all-white exterior and an interior already painted with lovely pinks and blues and scattered with glitter by - I’m guessing - a child. I loved the interior colors so much I decided to incorporate them into the work - so this is a secret collaboration with an unknown child artist.
Materials: upcycled house-shaped shelf/box; metal hook repurposed from broken candle holder; vintage tin plate from child’s tea set; wooden cradle; earth bead; assorted flower and bird papers (chickens too!); fragments of mosaic glass; feathers; assorted paper flowers and plastic grass; small plastic egg; acrylic paints.
20”h x 12”w x 4”d
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This piece celebrates how immigrants like my maternal grandparents stitched together lives from nearly nothing and sowed seeds of beauty as they traveled.
Materials: Upcycled kitchen drawer. Pressed clay shoe; sardine tin; vintage photo; spice tins; plastic wheels from children’s toy; assorted papers and maps; metal strips; dried flowers; jewelry and beads; small wooden house; handwritten messages tied in silk ribbon; acrylic paints.
20”h x 12”w x 4”d
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Sweet little fluffy has a dark side. In her birthday fantasy, her everyday chair becomes a throne of swords where she can sit and plot her attack on the fish that have taunted her from their pond all year.
Materials: Upcycled kitchen drawer. Brass cat; altered dollhouse chair; wooden beads and urns; felted Christmas lights; glass fish; altered porcelain
13”h x 8”w x 2.5”d
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When inspiration strikes, a crackling kind of energy is released, and the stars and moons seem to align in favor of the exciting new idea. This piece, which fittingly came together unusually quickly, expresses the experience of inspiration with the vintage light bulb generating light and heat and the whole universe colluding with our bird’s insight. Even the little letters above the bird’s head spell out BINGO – it seems her offerings of beautiful beads and berries have satisfied the muse, and the muse has struck!
23”h x 16.5”w x 6”d
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Who is Sandy? Where did she disappear to? What were the first 36 stories about? Mysteries abound.
About the Piece: This deliberately mysterious assemblage is built into a reclaimed kitchen drawer. The leaf patterns on the back are actually carved into the layers of contact paper that had accumulated over time in whatever kitchen this was once part of. The carved-out leaves were then painted green and scattered across the bottom of the piece - I liked the sense that the space itself was disintegrating even as the central doll/angel figure is undergoing her metamorphosis. In my mind, the story is one of transformation - one day the character stepped out of her little shoes, stepped into the silver pod/chamber, and emerged with wings and a readiness to ascend. The metamorphosis could be read as a death, or simply as a disappearance of an old version of self and re-birth in new form.
Materials: kitchen drawer; plastic doll body; altered angel wings; wire; butterfly images; broken Christmas ornament; doll shoes; assorted papers; leaves carved out of the layers of contact paper original to the drawer and painted; text “Story 37: Sandy Disappears” from vintage children’s book (full disclosure - in that book Sandy was a hamster who had gotten loose. As you can see, I did not stick with the original narrative.)
20”h x 12”w x 4”d
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This piece, inspired by my parents’ 59 years of marriage, celebrates lasting loves that withstand the challenges of life and the passing of time. The background is papered in vintage sheet music featuring love songs, and the red paper with an anatomical heart pattern that rings the interior space is both a continuation of the love theme, and a nod to my father’s profession as an anatomist. In a circle around the “clock” with the mated elephants at the center, the leaves turn from green to orange to red and then to brown and black, symbolizing the cycle of seasons through which a long marriage moves. To me, the outward-facing kitchen chairs at the base of the piece represent the way in which, over time, a couple shifts from gazing into one another’s eyes to gazing out at the world together, side by side. The connected circles above the chairs symbolize how two people come to take one another into themselves, becoming something greater than the sum of two parts. It seems to me that this kind of enduring companionship is as sweet and precious as anything we humans can know.
Materials: Elephant belt buckle, wooden bowl, straw coaster, glass leaves, dollhouse chairs, miniature ceramic table, paper flowers, wooden birds, metal “sticks,” small clock, bottlecaps, silver medallions, plumbing valves, plastic grass, vintage love song sheet music, anatomical heart paper, glitter, crystals, acrylic paints.