Sarah Winkler’s work explores geological aspects of landscape formation. Combining Studio Art, Earth Science, and Creative Writing during her studies at William Paterson University, Winkler began her career as a collage artist and graphic designer. Currently, she sketches in a collage format using printed imagery that she creates either physically or digitally. Each layer is then hand painted to retain the cut-paper aesthetic and convey the strata of geological time in landscapes. Locations like Mount Rainier National Park and the Yakima Valley are not depicted with identical exactness. Winkler instead positions her work in the abstract state between the physical world and the emotive experiences of place.

Inspired by the geology of the Cascade Mountains, Sarah Winkler depicts the region's overlapping, collage-like terrain as a textured rise in elevation with lowlands covered in coniferous forests, waterfalls, and wildflowers. Horizontal bands of meadows, alpine lakes, and glaciers characterize higher altitudes. Winkler mimics the process of erosion by applying paint onto wood panels, then sanding back through layer after layer. Oscillating between abstraction and figuration, she pays close attention to borders, boundaries, and edges. Viewers get a sense of the landscape adapting and transitioning, beckoning toward adventure and exploration.

Winkler’s art is represented in galleries in the US and Canada and has been exhibited in museums and Art Fairs including Bakersfield Museum of Art in California, Art Aspen and the LA Art Show. Her work has since been included in over 100 prominent US and international collections including Maker’s Mark Whisky in Kentucky, Vail Health in Colorado, and Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Her work is in private collections worldwide. Winkler is a participating artist in the US Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, where she is showcased at the American Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. She was recently named one of the top ‘Women Painters on the Rise’ by Artsy Inc. and was curated into their 2022 digital billboard campaign 'Scenes of Summer' exhibition in NYC. Her work has been featured in Scientific American, Times UK, Vail Valley, Mountain Living, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, American Art Collector, New American Paintings and in the documentary, 'Moment' by Making Art Films.