Covenant Woods resident Sarah Thimmesch has long found art to be both a creative outlet and a source of calm. A skilled painter who works in oil, watercolor, and pastel, Sarah has created portraits for fellow residents and taken part in several meaningful projects beyond our community. Most recently, she was selected to participate in the Souls Shot Portrait Project, a fine arts initiative that connects artists with families and friends of individuals whose lives were lost to gun violence.
The project’s mission is to honor and celebrate the lives of those portrayed through art. Artists are paired with the loved ones of each subject to learn about the person’s life, passions, and personality before beginning their portrait. For Sarah, the experience was deeply moving.
“It’s an emotional process,” Sarah shared. “You want to do justice to the person you’re painting and to capture who they were in a way that brings comfort to their family.”
Sarah’s talent caught the attention of the Souls Shot Portrait Project team, who connected her with her subject’s sister. Through shared stories and photographs, Sarah learned about the individual behind the image.
From there, she began her careful creative process, starting with sketches and black-and-white studies before moving into her preferred medium, oil painting.
Sarah’s finished work will travel as part of a curated exhibition that stops at 11 sites across the East Coast, bringing together more than 100 portraits in each tour. For her, seeing her piece included among so many others has been a humbling and inspiring experience.
Having moved 26 times in 21 years as a military spouse, Sarah has taught art classes and continually pursued new ways to express herself through painting. During the pandemic, she began taking online watercolor classes and continued refining her technique.
“Art has always been my outlet,” she said. “It keeps my mind calm and gives me a sense of peace.”
Through projects like Souls Shot, Sarah’s compassion and creativity continue to touch lives both within and beyond the Covenant Woods community, one portrait at a time.