Contemporary painter, Sarah Goodnough, applies a warm hearted and curious approach to bringing art into the world. Causing joy, peace, and inspiration has been at the center of her life and creative vision.

She is a self taught professional artist, with nearly 20 years selling her work in galleries and fine art fairs. Her work is held in numerous private collections, corporate offices, hospitals and hotels.

 

Born and raised in Massillon, Ohio, Goodnough comes from an artistic family. She had the gift of natural expression from the start and was often praised for her artistic talent. Although she was happy when making art, she didn’t consider art as a serious directional path and graduated from Miami University of Ohio, with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications. On her journey to become a professional artist, Goodnough’s curiosity and adventurous spirit led to her love of travel. After working for a summer in Yellowstone, taking a grand tour through several of America’s National Parks, she settled in Baltimore, Maryland, for a few years to be near here sister. Still inspired by the natural beauty of the Pacific NW, she decided to move to Portland, OR in 1997. Upon moving there, she took a few art classes at the local community college to learn how to use different materials. This is where she fell in love with painting. After much consideration whether or not to get a Fine Art degree, she decided it would best suit her to self study and develop her own painting style.

 

Goodnough’s move to Oregon proved to be life changing. Through the chance meeting of a hotelier and entrepreneur, who became her mentor in business and personal development, she gained confidence, direction, and an entrepreneurial mindset. This change in thinking led Goodnough the rare opportunity to assist in designing the interior for the upscale, boutique Cannery Pier Hotel in Astoria, OR. Due to the hotel having a limited budget for artwork, she made paintings to hang on the walls and soon people wanted to collect them. From this point, she dove into a life dedicated to art.

 

Goodnough’s art has a poetic and uplifting feel, capturing the essence of life in a fresh and unique way. She has developed many series over her 20 year career, nature and the human experience has been her biggest sources of inspiration.

 

Goodnough combines an intuitive, impressionistic style of painting using using acrylic paint, texture mediums, layers of color, and various mark making tools and techniques. By playing with color, pattern, composition and texture, she produces distinctive, visual experiences with sensitivity to mood and emotion. Her use of color and application captures attention because her palette is colorful, yet her paintings tend to have a soft and etherial quality.

 

Goodnough currently lives in Vancouver, WA with her husband, Manu Magnoni. They met when she was on a trip to Italy in 2015 with a group of artists. Together, they have created a life balancing her art career, taking small groups to Italy, and his love for sharing Italian culture and cuisine through private dinners. They both have a shared love of art, culture and history, spending time in nature, animals, gardening, eating good food, spending time with family and friends, and travel.