Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Painting
February 4, 2019

Top 8 Oil Painting Techniques All Beginners and Professionals Should Know

Oil paint has a long tradition in art history. Many of the world’s greatest creatives have used this material to produce their masterpieces, and its legacy lives on as one of the most popular media today. If you’ve ever thought about painting or are a professional looking to switch up your practice, chances are that oils have crossed your mind. Acrylic and oil are two of the most well-known types of paints used by contemporary artists.

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Science
January 29, 2019

Woman with Synesthesia Tells People What Their Names Taste Like

Some people have an uncommon condition called synesthesia, which essentially means that one of their senses is understood by another sense (or senses). One of our favorite examples of a synesthetic person is Melissa McCracken, an artist who hears colors and translates their music into gorgeous paintings. But the condition can happen in other ways, too—people’s brains get “cross-wired” in different forms.

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Art
January 17, 2019

14 Contemporary Artists Offer a Rare Look at the Pages of Their Private Sketchbooks

Visual magic happens on the pages of an artist’s sketchbook. The creative person will take the blank book and, page by page, transform it into an incredible art object that functions as an intimate handheld gallery featuring their work and writing. Artist Dina Brodsky is one such person, as she has kept a sketchbook since she was 18 years old.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.