May we never lose our wonder.

"I paint to understand how colors, light, and energy interact to create the magic of the ocean, and to make that magic available to anyone." — Sara Papirmeister

SARA PAPIRMEISTER is an ocean-inspired abstract realist painter who works with acrylics and oil paint from an intuitive, mindful place. Based part-time in Hawaii and part-time in the Pacific Northwest, she gains deep spiritual inspiration from the ocean and surfing. Ironically, raised in the land-locked state of Vermont, growing up surfing frozen mountains, she always felt called to paint the ocean. The sea is her heart, and where she feels most at home.

Sara graduated from the USC Roski School of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA in 2014, and attended the Mastery Program at the Milan Art Institute in 2020-21.

Working as a flight attendant for 7 years was a major catalyst to finding her favorite waves and beaches around the world, although the search never ends. From Nazaré to Mavericks to Pipeline, she seeks the awe-inspiring power of waves to capture in her paintings. That power is found in simple moments — when the light hits the water just right, when the wave crest and ocean-spray dance playfully, and when a wave becomes a beautiful display of energy in motion. Sara’s core belief, that a well-lived life is full of nourishing moments of wonder and awe, is reflected in her paintings. She hopes to inspire others to seek out soulful moments of wonder, in everyday life, for themselves.