Artist Biography:

Sandra J Hastings is a multidisciplinary artist based in West Central Texas within the United States. Working across photography, painting, pencil, encaustic, collage and fiber-textiles, Hastings employs photography not merely for documentation but as a central medium in her creative practice. She is best known for her expressive, abstract digital photography and art that explores both symmetrical and asymmetrical compositions.

Hastings’ work is characterized by a strong focus on light, texture, and form, often blurring the boundaries between and within traditional media. Her mixed media pieces demonstrate a thoughtful engagement with visual abstraction and material experimentation. While several key projects and series are currently in development, her evolving body of work continues to reflect an intuitive and exploratory approach.

Sandra J Hastings has exhibited widely, including a 2024 solo exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Abilene, Texas. She has participated in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Center for Contemporary Arts National Exhibitions (CCAN), the 2024/2025/2026 Members Exhibitions at the Abilene Creative Arts Club, and numerous exhibitions at the Art Center of Corpus Christi since 2023. Her work is held in various private collections nationally.

Artist Statement:

A Texas Wanderer, I am an audacious, self-taught artist based in Abilene, Texas. I describe my photographic art and mixed media art as a visual journey of discovery and revelation. For me, art comes out of life, and not prescribed. And over the course of my time it has become a journey of self-discovery..... never ending, interwoven with energy, complexity, impulsiveness, and the occasional pause of quiet contemplation.

My early years of creativity were born from art elective classes through-out my public school years.... painting, drawing, sculpture. Influential to me in high school art classes was Ms. Katy Presswood. I also attended several photography classes in the evenings and weekends provided by Larry Sanders of Keaton Kolor. I used that knowledge and became a “freelance” photojournalist/writer for the Abilene Reporter News covering “spot news and news of interest” from several surrounding towns in the Big Country. Eventually my creative desire for art and photography began to blend, blading a journey forward into exciting new territory. The journey has recently evolved into photographic art and mixed media, sculpture, and works on paper. I am an artist with determination, passion, and with a spirit of exploration that I hope the viewer will see and feel in my art.