Sandra Warren Gobar

Background

With an illustrious career spanning over two decades, Sandra Warren Gobar stands as a distinguished figure in the visual arts realm. She is a multi-award-winning and multifaceted visual arts teacher, studio arts professor, art historian, interdisciplinary visual artist, museum arts curator, lecturer, and visual and performing arts community director. Her deep-seated passion and commitment to advancing the arts are evident in every facet of her work.

Sandra finds profound inspiration in the words of abstract expressionist painter Joan Mitchell: "I carry my landscapes around with me." This statement perfectly encapsulates Sandra's artistic journey, as she has spent a lifetime weaving a rich tapestry of painted experiences that culminate in a serene and luminous body of work. "All of my life's journeys are in my work," she affirms, reflecting her dedication to capturing life's essence through art.

Her paintings and teaching philosophy have been celebrated in numerous publications, including The Middleburg Eccentric Newspaper (2015), The Hill Rag Magazine (2006), The Washington Examiner Newspaper (2006), New York Cool.com (2005), and the Chairman's Guild Newsletter of the Corcoran Gallery of Art & College of Art & Design. These accolades highlight her exceptional contributions to the arts and education.

Sandra's artistic career commenced in the realm of costuming with the Virginia Opera Association and The Christian Broadcasting Network's television show "Another Life." Her diverse artistic practice spans a wide array of media, including oils, oil sticks, encaustics, pastels, fresco, acrylics, watercolor, charcoal, graphite, mixed media, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, architecture, photography, film, STEAM and design thinking. Influenced by renowned artists such as Corot, Inness, Cezanne, Hans Hofmann, Romare Bearden, Le Corbusier, Faith Ringgold, Ansel Adams and Wolf Kahn, her work continues to evolve and inspire.

Since 2003, Sandra has been a valued member of the Studio Arts Faculty at the Smithsonian Associates. Her tenure at the Corcoran College of Art & Design and the Corcoran Gallery of Art spanned eight years, including roles as an Professor in the Drawing & Painting Department and a Museum Studio Arts Educator and Administrator. Sandra collaborated with prestigious organizations like The National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Ballet, and the Levine School of Music, she has contributed to the development of curricula, exhibitions, and programs within the Corcoran's Public Education Department.

In 2006, Sandra received a Graduate Credit Certificate from Parsons in Paris School of Design, focusing on Advanced Drawing Intensives in French Architecture and French Interiors. Her educational credentials are further enriched by a certificate from Yale University's Yale Center for British Art Summer Institute for Teachers (2014), studies in Fresco painting at L'Accademia De Belle Arti Lorenzo da Viterbo in Italy, and post-graduate courses at Corcoran College of Art & Design. She holds a BS degree from Norfolk State University and received a certificate in "Teaching Lifelong Learning Strategies: Executive Functions in the Classroom" from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2006. Sandra was awarded an Artist-in-Residency Program in Painting at the School of Visual Arts|SVA  in Chelsea, New York, in 2005.

Sandra's commitment to professional development is evident in her diverse certifications, including a Graduate Credit Certificate from Goucher College's Teacher Summer Institute (2015), a Certificate for the IB Diploma Programme Workshop Category 1+2 Combined-DP Visual Arts-CASIE-The Center for the Advancement of International Education-IB Global Centre, Washington (2021), and a Certificate from the College Board AP Summer Institute in Studio Art Drawing, 2-D Design, 3-D Design Portfolio for Middle and High School AP Art Educators at Loyola University, Timonium Campus, MD (2012). Additionally, she received a Certificate from the College of William & Mary, School of Education, Center for Gifted Education, Advanced Placement Summer Institute (2018), and a Certificate from the Mid-Atlantic Association of IB World Schools for the 2021 IB Visual Arts Boot Camp. During her 2 years living in Seoul, South Korea, she furthered her Asian watercolor studies with painter Myung Bo Sim, Faculty, Kyong-Sung University, Seoul, South Korea, and completed pastel studies with Wolf Kahn and at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Sandra's artistic achievements include two Encaustic Painting Intensives with R & F Handmade Paints. Her work has been exhibited in New York, Paris, Italy, Washington, D.C., and various other venues. Her paintings are part of numerous public and private collections, both nationally and internationally.

She was honored with Washington, D.C.'s 2022 Doodle for Google National Arts Education Appreciation Award and was named Teacher of the Year in 2017-2018 at one of her former schools. Sandra's studio is located at The Workhouse Arts Center in Fairfax, VA.

Philosophy

Sandra is deeply passionate about engaging the intellectual and artistic realms, where critical thinking, creative experimentation, and instructional techniques blend analytical and intuitive thinking with the creative spirit. Her instructional approach incorporates demonstrations, studio discussions, handouts, lectures, and critiques, as well as investigations of historical and contemporary masters. She finds immense joy in teaching all age groups and takes pride in nurturing their artistic endeavors. The ultimate reward for her is witnessing her students expand their artistic reach beyond her classes.

Artist Statement

"I am intrigued by the invisibility of human existence, taking the elements of life and infusing them into my work. Rather than merely using mediums to paint, I mix the paint with what life has handed me. My work expresses the unseen rather than the seen; beneath the layered painted surface lies the untold blueprint of pain experienced in the soul. What my physical body endures is heightened on canvas. I paint to express what I cannot say."