Passage to a Portal

Sara Marlowe Hall’s latest series of small original pastel drawings weaves a geometric color story that maintains a strong sense of gesture and hand-drawn authenticity. Using small-batch pastels, Hall creates compositions where color, texture, and shape interact dynamically, yet with an inherent softness that echoes her hand's movement across the surface. Each piece strikes a balance between precision and the organic, with geometric forms subtly softened by the tactile, imperfect quality of the pastels. In this series, color plays a central role, with each drawing contributing to a larger narrative. The pastel hues, both muted and vibrant, are thoughtfully layered and juxtaposed, creating a dialogue between the works. Despite the controlled geometric shapes, the use of pastels ensures that each mark holds a trace of the artist's hand, preserving the intimate, personal quality of the pieces. The effect is a collection that, while individually striking, is enhanced by its companions. The color stories of each drawing build upon one another, offering a cohesive yet varied exploration of form and feeling, where the geometric rigidity is softened by the gestures that bring the compositions to life.