Guest Blog Post: Ma'Kenzie Overton on Sarah Jacobs's "Flat Broke"

Student Ma'Kenzie Overton wrote the following essay about her visit to Glass Growers and subsequent interview with artist Sarah Jacobs to learn more about a piece she connected to, Flat Broke. She agreed to let us share her thoughtfully researched, well-written, insightful essay on our blog.

Flat Broke, Sarah Jacobs, 2023

Art Gallery Visit

I visited Glass Growers Gallery on April 12th, 2025. The gallery was calm and inviting,  felt drawn to take in everything around me. There was so much to see, and not just the art itself. It was overwhelming, but not the bad type you might think of. There was just so much, it made me want to explore everything they had. It was much more of a different experience from browsing a virtual exhibit, this allowed me to immerse myself in art in a physical space. It felt completely different. Experiencing a physical art gallery was much more impactful for me. I wasn’t limited to where I could go, and I had the chance to ask questions directly to the staff, who were able to provide detailed, in-person information about the artists.

In the gallery I was particularly drawn to the work “Indefinite Lives,” created by Sarah Jacobs which was beautiful and filled with light colors that made this type of rhythm that directed your eyes into the middle where it was like looking up into the night sky but then one of the workers showed me another piece of her artwork that I felt more of a connection to and that one was “Flat Broke.” Compared to the first artwork I saw, this one I felt like I could understand it, with the dark colors, the pattern flowers that repeat, the various of different colored lines as the background, the stem looking like a snake’s body and unique flower, I thought I would enjoy writing my paper on this. Not only “Flat Broke” but also the artist stood out to me too, wanting to know more about this art piece, I decided to contact Sarah Jacobs and was able to have a conversation with her. So, throughout this paper, you will be hearing not only my opinions on this piece but also the artist’s perspective when she was creating this piece.

The artist, Sarah Jacobs, is a contemporary artist known for her vibrant maximalist style. She always likes to change her style and experiment with different art styles to expand her work (Glass Growers Gallery). In the work “Flat Broke” 2023 Sarah Jacobs uses digital collage to build dreamlike scenes in her artwork. She brings together elements that don’t usually belong side by side, plants layered over more plants, colors blending into other colors, and a tablecloth-like pattern. Her work ignores the usual rules of space and gravity. The background contrasts with the careful placement of each detail, creating a quiet, almost mystical feeling throughout the piece.

When I asked more about the title “Flat Broke”, the artist said it was partly literal because the form sort of breaks out of the picture frame, almost like something flat trying to escape into the viewer’s space. But also, there’s a bit of a joke in it, how artists don’t always make a lot of money, so “Flat Broke” also pokes fun at that economic reality.

When it comes to what category this piece falls into, I would say contemporary art. The use of digital collage, bright synthetic colors, and layered patterns aligns with contemporary practices. Jacobs uses various visual sources, patterns, textures, and digital imagery, creating a piece that speaks to themes like consumerism, surface beauty, and identity, all of which are common in contemporary discourse. One key aspect of “Flat Broke” that connects it to contemporary practice is how it plays with depth and perspective. While the artwork appears flat and graphics from the front, almost like a printed surface, some elements are slightly raised or textured. When viewed from the side, these details pop out, giving the piece a three-dimensional quality. This blending of 2D and 3D challenges traditional expectations of painting or collage, showing how contemporary artists push the boundaries between digital and physical space. With the pushing of boundaries, she also does this with the materials she uses, like oil paint, acrylic paint, molding paste, fabric, and flash. In this particular piece, she used this ultra-matte paint called flash, which is a thin paint that doesn’t reflect light at all. The idea was that if there’s no gloss or glare on the raised parts of the piece, it would help it look flat when viewed from the front. So even though it’s physically three-dimensional, it visually flattens, and only when you get close or change your angle do you realize it’s breaking out of the surface.

During my conversation with Jacobs, I wanted to know about what inspired her to make the flower and stem three-dimensional, and how do you wanted viewers to experience that shift in depth. She explained that the whole series kind of plays with the relationship between flatness and volume, like two-dimensional versus three-dimensional space, and she connected that to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the idea that the people in the cave thought they were seeing reality, but they were just looking at shadows on a wall. The artist said they liked that metaphor because it’s not just symbolic; they also engage with it more literally in their paintings. Jacob says they were thinking about those old Magic Eye posters, when you sort of cross your eyes, and then suddenly an image would pop out, that’s what she was going for, she wanted the viewer to have a similar kind of moment, where you think you're seeing one thing, but then it reveals something deeper or unexpected. This thoughtful approach to visual perception made me reflect not just on the artwork itself, but on how I engage with art more broadly. It set the stage for a more meaningful connection to the piece and to the creative process behind it. I was particularly fascinated by the texture of the materials, especially with the stem that to me looks like the body of a snake, just with the pattern and the texture, even the color looks like the dead skin of a snake. With the dreamlike effect and the symbolism of cutting off a snake’s head could mean personal transformation and growth, even though this isn't what the artist intended, there are just so many things that can be interpreted just by looking at this piece, and that's what the artist wants. More on the materials that Jacobs used, she told me about the fabric used in the background. It’s the kind of fabric usually used as raw canvas for painting, but she found this specific piece in Taos, New Mexico, during an artist residency. There’s a fabric store there where the owners spend part of the year in Peru, sourcing handmade textiles. So, this particular fabric was made by someone in Peru, and it has that distinct Peruvian style. The fabric itself doesn’t necessarily tie into the conceptual meaning of the piece, but it’s a beautiful material, especially the mix of blue and purple, which Jacobs doesn’t normally use. The elements and principles of art were what initially drew me to this piece, particularly the use of color, line, and texture. The balance between asymmetrical and repetition made the work feel harmonious and dynamic. I was also struck by the contrast in rough and smooth textures, and how it created depth. Throughout the process of writing this paper, visiting the art gallery, and taking this class, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of art and how to interpret and describe its underlying meaning. Reflecting on the painting “Flat Broke,” I appreciated the chance to explore my response to the work and, even more so, to incorporate the artist’s personal insights and creative process into my interpretation. It made the experience more meaningful and helped me connect to this piece on a deeper level.

Work Cited

Boynes, Chantal. “Artist Sarah Jacobs — Boynes Artist Award.” Boynes Artist Award, 16 Jan.

2023, boynesartistaward.com/interviews/artist-sarah-jacobs.

Sarah Jacobs - Flat Broke. www.1stdibs.com/art/mixed-media/sarah-jacobs-flat-broke/id-a_14689232.

“Sarah Jacobs.” Glass Growers Gallery, www.glassgrowersshop.com/collections/sarah-jacobs.

“The Cave Series — Sarah Jacobs Artwork.” Sarah Jacobs Artwork, www.sarahjacobsart.com/the-cave-series.