Sara Dykstra is a Oregon artist who is known for her relationship to light and color in her paintings. Most recently she has been creating multi-layered conceptional vignettes using paper, fabric, and various elements that create a soft textured 3 dimensional landscape. Then she sets off to paint what she sees.

This photograph features one of those conceptional vignettes - which looks identical to one of her paintings! When I first saw the image I couldn’t believe it wasn’t one of her paintings.

Inspired by Jae DeFeo’s The Rose is comprised of white paper ‘roses’ hanging at different heights - with tiny pins dangling in the vignette. The white and off white tones and sunlight streaming from her studio window create a beautiful moment.

• San Francisco beat-era artist Jae DeFeo (1929-1989) was consumed making this monumental piece in her home studio on Fillmore St between 1956-66. It’s composed of oil, wood and mica on canvas and as it grew in size it became thicker and heavier. DeFeo said it was a marriage between painting and sculpture. The completed piece weighs nearly 1 ton and had to be reinforced to be hung as DeFeo took it from 7’ x9’ to 11’.

• Fun fact: The front of her 2nd floor apartment had to be removed to get the piece out!

• ‘The Rose’ is part of the permanent collection at The Whitney Museum.