Hovering Gull, 36" x 24"

Sawin belongs to a small but dedicated group of painters who embody what might be best described as "painterly representation." They claim as mentors and teachers a group of New York painters who studied with or were influenced by Hans Hoffman in the nineteen fifties. She earned her MFA in New York, studying with Leland Bell, Paul Resika, John Helliker and Stanley Lewis, as well as with visiting artists Larry Rivers, Stephen Pace, and Robert DeNiro Sr..

In Sawin's work, this approach is realized in an ongoing series of bird paintings. Drawn to shore and water birds for their abstract forms, she also finds in them a spiritual connection to the planet, and, more specifically for her, to the Maine landscape. The movie "Winged Migration" confirms that the affinity for birds is widespread. In the words of the celebrated naturalist John Hay, "we are attracted to birds through the spirit…[It] is their constant presence, and at the same time their elusiveness, which intrigues us."

The birds are featured almost emblematically, yet are suffused in an atmosphere of quiet contemplation. In dense layers of paint, the colors beneath emerge and blend to unite the bird with its surroundings, creating a cohesive whole.