Sarah B. McCann

My most recent work has been experimenting with adding different sculptural elements to my paintings. These pieces expand to a third dimension through wood shelving, frames, and added found objects. The subject matter varies and includes references to art history, personal experience, gifted objects with significant meaning, mental health, and more. I am adding to this page as pieces are completed so please check back! I currently have seven planned for the initial series, but there may be more! I have also included some writing about the origins of each piece and meaning.

A dear friend has family in Texas and was traveling back and forth quite a bit as we worked on a project together. At some point she said to me, I will bring you rocks back from Texas, and I said OK! One does not refuse gift rocks from Texas. I do not know what I was expecting, but the five rocks she brought back were beautiful, each unique in its own way— in shape, form, color, and substance. She also texted me pictures of where she found the rocks and one of those photos included a single white flower in a field of rocks and stones. I had been toying with the idea of these three dimensional paintings for a while and when I got these rocks, I cut a piece of scrap wood to attach to a blank canvas and started with the rocks. I was delighted and as I considered what to paint, I knew it would be where the rocks came from. The title is inspired by a song by Edith Frost, "Cars and Parties". The lyrics are about dreaming of old homes, while living in a place getting too cold with too many cars and parties. It reminds me of aging as we reflect on our ties to places, people, and activities that maybe were fun when we were young, but now do not resonate quite the way they used to. The song can be listened to here.

Untitled, 15" x 21" x 2", mixed media, completed in 2026

The first time I became significantly depressed leading to suicidal ideation was due to an over the counter allergy drug where this was listed as a side effect, but one that impacted less than .02% of the population so is considered rare and undocumented. Apparently, I am one of those rare people who have not been documented. Once I figured out that the depression started when the allergy meds started I stopped taking them and within a few days felt better. I was unsure what to do with the rest of the pills, but was working in resin so decided to create frames with those and all the other allergy remedies I had tried, but did not work. I found the frames incredibly ugly and they bounced around my studio for years before I was able to resolve them in this completed piece.

Sargent's Scandal and Side Effects, mixed media, 31.5" x 36" x 1.5" , 2026

The second time I experienced depression was a secondary symptom from a time of intense stress and increasing anxiety that started when I was handed a joint that I believe had a higher THC content than I was prepared for and I should have been warned. The impact of this moment surpassed suicidal ideation and I started making plans for how I would die. The only thing that stopped me was my house was too messy and I didn’t want to leave the mess for my mom and family to deal with so I made it to some level of cleaning and doctor’s appointments. I tried many meds, some of which helped briefly before spiking all my symptoms to an even worse place. Turns out I am too sensitive for drugs, recreational and medicinal alike. Once I found a regiment that began to improve my health, I knew I needed to find a place for all the leftover meds while I continued to heal. “Sargent’s Scandal” a piece that was half done in my studio for months and that I had added glitter to and was not satisfied with needed something else. The pills became the something else and how the piece came to be titled, “Sargent’s Scandal and Side Effects”. I think the added meaning highlights something about the way people are impacted and get through challenges, public shaming, and find reasons to continue to create and live. If you do not know the story, John Singer Sargent painted the portrait of Madame X with the strap of her dress fallen down. It caused quite the scandal in Paris, some speculating that it is the reason he moved to and lived the rest of his years in London!

To continue to ensure that old prescriptions would not end up in the trash or sewers, I kept incorporating them into mixed media pieces. This work, which I really consider more of a sketch, was made with some leftover materials and medicine I was prescribed to alleviate stomach pain, but that ended up causing my stomach to hurt more! Added in were some nausea pills given to me after surgery, which I surprisingly didn’t need. Added to the pills are leftover gold glitter and uterus glitter from the piece below. The completed piece does somehow remind me of the contents of a stomach.

No More Surly Bloody Rivers , mixed media, 52" x 28" x 3", 2026

I had a full hysterectomy in the summer of 2025. I threw a Goodbye Uterus party and in the moment felt relief that I no longer needed to consider whether or not I wanted to birth children. The surgery had a complication and I ended up needing two, but they went well. I had an excellent doctor, supportive group of friends, and community around me while I healed. What I did not expect was the grief about losing the potential to create life. I was quickly aging out of being able to anyway so probably would not have ended up doing so, but the realization that it was now gone hit me hard. I also realized that my life was no longer a cycle that aligned with the moon, I was now on a linear path to the end. Suddenly, the remaining part of my life was a journey that looked very different and whatever certainty I had gained in how I had lived up until now vanished. I questioned every decision, the meaning of my life, and what I was going to do with the rest of it.