Her mother told her she began drawing at 2-years-old and were amazed at what she could do. And growing up, she knew that she always loved to draw. Art was her favorite subject in high school, but she did not go to college in search of an art degree, she went to work in business and had a family.
Her mother told her she began drawing at 2-years-old and were amazed at what she could do. And growing up, she knew that she always loved to draw. Art was her favorite subject in high school, but she did not go to college in search of an art degree, she went to work in business and had a family.
When Sandra Hayen was in her 30s, she took an art adult education class in La Mesa, and her teacher asked her if she had ever considered doing fine art. So Hayen took her advice, began taking workshops, classes wherever she could find one, and began a journey that she had been looking for all her life. She explored every medium of art she could find.
"When I found oils, I fell in love with them," she said. "After that, I don't do anything else."
She later began teaching oil painting in adult education, which became another love of her life. But in honesty, she said, she is about 75 percent self-taught.
"I really feel that it is a gift from God that he gave to me," said Hayen. "I've had a lot of ups and downs in life and I am happy that I have had painting to fall back on."
Hayen's general philosophy is that art is to be appreciated and enjoyed and that when a person sees a painting, it should draw them in, hold their attention and be interesting to the eye.
"In my art, I want those who view it to sense feeling and mood," she said. "That is really important to me."
In her landscapes, she wants people to feel a sense of place, want to go there and want the art to be uplifting and enjoyable. Hayen considers herself a representational artist that falls in between impressionistic and photorealistic art and a tonalist, relying on the tones of darks and lights rather than color.
Having lived in La Mesa for 50 years, her newest exhibit at the Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library is a fitting venue. There, through the end of December are many of her works of landscapes, seascapes, and florals.
Hayen's work is an indispensable sight for art lovers, especially those who love the oils. Her extensive years of training to replicate the great Master's of art are strongly evident in every painting. Her floral paintings are nothing less than perfection with a brush, and her landscapes and seascapes, whether real or a compilation, will take you on a journey. It is an exquisite display of her artistic abilities with oils.
To find out more about Sandra Hayen, her work, or her private lessons go to www.SandraHayen.com. For information on the Herrick Community Library go to www.herricklibrary.org.
