Sara Mohagen on how art can heal

After a health diagnosis kept Sara inside, isolated from the wildlife she loves so much, she had to find a way to keep herself occupied and inspired. She pulled out an old pencil and some paper, and started drawing...

The first thing she drew was a fox, then the ravens that frequent the neighbourhood and the first bear that had surprised her one day outside her cabin.

“It made my heart sing,” says Sara, the face behind Dark Fox Creative. “I found great joy in watching the creatures that I drew come to life and had found a way to bring the outside in.”

It was a stage IV melanoma cancer diagnosis – with a 10 to 15% chance of survival – that had turned Sara’s life upside down.

“After several years of working as a physical therapist in Washington, my husband and I moved back to California for his job. While I was waiting for my PT license to transfer from Washington to California, I focused on enjoying our beautiful landscape and renovating our little cabin.”

One day while out jogging, Sara started to get pain in her leg, and received the diagnosis a month later.

“It was too late for surgery, chemo or radiation at that point, so my next option was a clinical drug trial through UCSF,” says Sara. “Unfortunately, during treatment, I developed a terrible autoimmune reaction where my immune system attacked my own skin. My skin was photosensitive, so not only was I in isolation from other people for several months, I couldn’t go outdoors or even stand for too long by a window because of the light.”

As someone who loves being surrounded by nature in the fresh air and sunshine, Sara needed to find a way to stay connected to the outside world from the confines of the cabin.

 
 

“I love trying new techniques, mixing new colours, and attempting to capture the feeling of the scene before me.”

 
 

This is when she started taking online art classes and dabbling in things she previously “never had the time for”.

“I loved arts and crafts when I was a little girl. My older sister and I would use my mum’s old fashion catalogues to paint ‘makeup’ on all the models with markers. I had a favourite set of watercolour pencils (I still have them today!) and would always watch Bob Ross painting on Saturday mornings after watching cartoons.”

Although Sara continued to enjoy the arts throughout her childhood, she never considered going down the arts path –  instead mostly spending her time outside and experimenting with science, using the “analytical left side” of her brain.

And analytical thought processes plays their part in Sara’s work today. Her black and white graphite pieces are approached in a formulated way – hours spent creating highly detailed portraits of animals, from the bears in the woods to the lynx in her backyard. Using techniques of shading, Sara is able to bring each animal to life on the page.

“I try to capture the essence of each creature – the little glint in their eye, a cheeky look about them, a window into their personality,” she says.

Now that Sara is able to venture outside again, after eventually being able to go through to surgery and learning how to walk properly again, she is able to take her sketchbook into the woods with her.

 
 

“We spend our lives being so busy, but if you were given a year to live, what would you wish you had done? Do it.”

 
 

Read: Sara Mohagen’s advice for creatives

“For my colourful paintings, my creative right brain rules. I interpret, then paint things I’ve seen out on my daily walks such as a flower, an osprey flying overhead, or the beautiful landscapes I see while snowshoeing or hiking.

“I love trying new techniques, mixing new colours, and attempting to capture the feeling of the scene before me.”

A self-taught artist, Sara has turned Dark Fox Creative from simply an outlet that helped her through a difficult time, to a full-time career.

“Life is too short not to do what you love,” she says. “I never in a million years would have thought that I could be an artist...

“We spend our lives being so busy, but if you were given a year to live, what would you wish you had done? Do it. Don’t be afraid to fail or try something new. And above all, enjoy the little moments and enjoy the journey.”

California, United States

@darkfoxcreative

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Sara Mohagen’s advice for creatives