Sandra Charles
Na Jise, 2026
Oil on canvas, goldleaf
40" x 30"
 
Artist Bio
Sandra Charles is a figurative oil painter born in Hazard, Kentucky. She spent her early
years in a small mining community before her family relocated to Louisville, where she
currently lives and works. She credits her family as a constant source of foundation and
inspiration throughout her artistic journey.

Charles began her career as a batik fiber artist, integrating painterly elements into her
textile work. Seeking to further explore painting, she returned to school after several
decades and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2015 with a concentration in painting. In
2016, she retired from a career in risk management to focus fully on her art practice.
She has received numerous grants and residencies, including awards from the
Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Great Meadows Foundation, and the Hadley
Creatives Artist Development Grant, as well as participation in the Efroymson Emerging
Contemporary Artist Lecture Series and Residency at the University of Evansville.
Her work has been exhibited widely, with notable exhibitions including The Ballot Box at
Louisville Metro Hall and 21c Museum Hotel (Louisville, KY); The Art of Being Black at
the Art Center of the Bluegrass (Danville, KY); The Reality of Our Essence, a solo
exhibition at KMAC Museum (Louisville, KY); Artful Connections at the Owensboro
Museum of Art; Rounding the Circle from the Mary and Al Shands Collection at the
Speed Art Museum; Perspectives 2023 in Louisville, KY; and Your Vote, Your Voices at
the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery (New Berlin, NY). Charles continues to expand her practice through experimentation with materials and form. Some of her recent work revisits fiber traditions. While other work explores and incorporates symbolic elements of nature such as cloudscapes to help broaden her concepts and narratives.