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Sara Dykstra

@saradykstra

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Seen in ELLE Decor UK • Sept. 2026
Henley Design commission
Curatory Magazine Vol. 16 (Link in bio)
Art FWD: 5x5x5 @marinmoca

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A few images from my recent interview with Curatory Magazine. I’m truly grateful for this thoughtful conversation and for the opportunity to reflect on my work, materials, and process. Curatory Vol. 16 was recently released and is available to view online or purchase in print. I’m honored to be included in such a beautiful issue. Links to both versions can be found in my bio. @curatory.magazine

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Q: You describe your marks as invented hieroglyphs. What do you mean by that?

When I paint, I enter each sitting as openly as possible, without ideas about the outcome, like a meditation. Working on unstretched canvas or linen laid flat on a table, both ends are rolled close together like a scroll. I reveal only a small working area at a time, which limits distraction and keeps me fully focused on the conversation of the brushwork.

Because the iridescent ground loses its luminosity if disturbed, each mark remains—nothing can be wiped out. The process becomes intuitive and accumulative. I view it like a poem or a story unfolding—an invented hieroglyphic language. Each mark functions as both image and record, holding the time of its making. As the canvas is gradually unrolled, it reveals a passage of time: marks gathered into a continuous field that becomes a psychological terrain shaped through sustained attention and intuition.
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#curatorymagazine #magazine #curator #contemporaryart #art by @saradykstra

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2 months ago

Painted on an iridescent ground, the surface catches and releases light, causing the colors to shift with the movement of the viewer.

Nighthawks
2026
Iridescent & Matte Acrylic on Canvas
56 x 46 inches
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#saradykstra #contemporaryart #iridescent #artcollector #gallery by @saradykstra

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7 months ago

Painted on a pink iridescent ground, this painting shifts with the light and your position in the room. From one point of view, the background deepens into a rich, saturated pink; from another, it opens into an almost luminous white.

The River
2024
Oil and Metallic Acrylic on Canvas
27 x 21 inches
#saradykstra
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#art #artwork #artist #abstract #abstractart #blue #painting #paintingnow #artsy #color #design #sketch #sfart #artcollector #gallery #studio #interiordesign #waves #decor #artistsoninstagram #pink #instaartist #exhibition #newamericanpaintings #womenartists #pattern #metallic #artoftheday #contemporaryart by @saradykstra

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2 years ago

Excited to share a few images of my work from this beautiful Greenwich Village project with Sarah Henley and her exceptional team at Henley Designs, now featured in ELLE Decor UK. Included are glimpses of the painting in progress and its final installation.
@henley_design @elledecorationuk

Sarah invited me to create a custom painting specifically for the living room. The direction of the painting was informed by a curated selection of fabrics—velvet and leather textures, along with a palette of warm earth tones. It was such a pleasure to be part of this project. Thank you to Henley Designs for such a fun and thoughtful collaboration.

Read the full story at the link in bio, which includes images of the entire project and two gorgeous paintings by Eric Aho. @ahostudio

Stepping Through Fallen Leaves, 2025
Oil on Linen, 34” × 96”

Photography: @guillermocanophoto
Styling: @emilykariancano
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#elledecor #interiordesign #contemporaryart #palette #saradykstra taken in Greenwich Village NYC by @saradykstra

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10 days ago

Thank you to Esther Mallouh, curator of ‘Ripples’, for including ‘The Twilight Fishermen’ in a yearlong exhibition at UC Law San Francisco. She brought together artists and community members to celebrate 81 works displayed across three UC Law SF buildings. State Sen. Scott Wiener spoke about the importance of the project to the community. It was a beautiful and meaningful exhibition to be a part of.
@keenlee.art

Twilight Fishermen
2025
Iridescent Acrylic & Oil on Linen
40 x 40 inches
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#ripples #sanfrancisco #contemporaryart #gallery #saradykstra taken in San Francisco, California by @saradykstra

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15 days ago

Hidden passages emerge and disappear as light activates the surface, revealing the painting differently from one moment to the next. It sometimes feels as though multiple works are occupying the same space. The second and third images show the piece in morning light.

The Next Chapter
2026
Iridescent Acrylic on Linen
60x50 inches
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#saradykstra #artcollector #iridescent #contemporaryart #womenartists by @saradykstra

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4 months ago

Commissioned painting on linen.

The sky and water are painted with iridescent acrylic, shifting with the light throughout the day, while the mangrove tree remains matte. The water changes from a deep blue to almost white depending on where you are standing. (Video shows the shift.)

Mangrove
2026
Iridescent & Matte Acrylic on Linen
20 x 24 inches
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#contemporaryart #commission #iridescent #painting #water by @saradykstra

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5 months ago

Portrait of Sakura-fubuki
2026
Iridescent & Matte Acrylic on Canvas
60 x 48 inches
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#contemporaryart #iridescent #perception #painting #golden by @saradykstra

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5 months ago

An installation view of Lovebirds—beautifully framed and installed by Pence Fine Art Services.
@pencefineartservices

The iridescent ground catches light and shifts throughout the day, while the matte passages absorb and hold it.

Lovebirds, 2025
Iridescent and Matte Acrylic on Canvas, 55x55 inches
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#saradykstra #artcollectors #iridescentpaint #contemporarypainting #interiordesign by @saradykstra

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5 months ago

The Tiny Island
2026
Iridescent & Matte Acrylic on Canvas
50 x 44 inches
I use iridescent, light-responsive pigments to create surfaces that change with your movement and the surrounding light—exploring the shifting ways we perceive and experience the world.
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#contemporaryart #iridescent #perception #painting #saradykstra by @saradykstra

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7 months ago

Study of Trees
2026
Acrylic & Iridescent Acrylic on Linen
20 x 16 inches

Altered by light, forms and fragments emerge and recede.
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#saradykstra #artcollectors #iridescentpaint #contemporarypainting #emergingimage by @saradykstra

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8 months ago

A side view of a commission to catch the iridescence—color and light activating the surface as you move around it.

Under the Willow Tree
2026
Iridescent Acrylic on Linen
34 x 52 inches
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#art #artist #interiordesign #artgallery #iridescent by @saradykstra

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8 months ago