Interview by Sarah Stienberg
photography by Joanne Ratajczak

One is never enough for Sara. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the painter has a fascination for crowds, which she captures from a safe distance, hovering overhead - the same vantage point Russian constructivist Alexander Rodchenko had on his subjects, or a kid might have over an anthill. But rather than poking at the anthill with a stick, she just wants to watch. Sara finds an abstract beauty in her fellow humans' movements, interactions, patterns and relationships.

LOCALE:

Find a phrase that you can type into Google that will actually turn up no results. What is it?

SARA:

Shoes by numbers.

LOCALE:

What does 80087355 mean to you?

SARA:

The amount of images I have on my iPhoto.

LOCALE:

Does your art require any type of calculations?

SARA:

Yes, I calculate the balance of everyday life without anyone knowing about it.

LOCALE:

Who was your favourite math teacher?

SARA:

My favourite math teacher was my grade 9-10 teacher. I think he liked me because of my enthusiasm, even though I had no idea about what he was talking about. I passed!

LOCALE:

If you were a fractal, what kind of fractal would you be?

SARA:

A small and turquoise one.

LOCALE:

When is 1+1 actually 3?

SARA:

When two just won't do.

LOCALE:

What was the most invaluable lesson you were ever taught?

SARA:

To be unique.

LOCALE:

What's the most difficult equation you've ever solved?

SARA:

Choosing painting over thermodynamics.

LOCALE:

The Milky Way is shaped like a plate that's 1.5 x 105 light years wide. The next closest galaxy is Andromeda, about 2 million light years away. Andromeda is basically a flat spiral. Someone gives you two 25-centimetre-wide plates and says, "Build a scale model." How far apart should the plates be? Alternately, if the Milky Way tastes like chocolate, what does Andromeda taste like?

SARA:

The plates should be five metric light year metres apart. Therefore Andromeda tastes like peanut butter.

LOCALE:

Algebra declares war on Poetry. They arrange to meet behind the dumpster at 4. Who throws the first punch? Who wins?

SARA:

Poetry unexpectedly falls in love with the dumpster, crawls inside, and Algebra never finds her.