ARTIST STATEMENT

To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.

             Samuel Beckett

My work explores the messy imperfection of existence through paintings that reveal both the pain and beauty of living in these times of uncertainty. Building on the encounter between inner and outer landscapes, I create abstract work that juxtaposes intensely personal moments of psychic violence and chaos with the elements of mystery and spirituality to be found in the natural world.

The visual language employed is particularly inspired by what the land, sea and sky have to teach us about ourselves – our bodies, our wounds and our spiritual healing. These teachings are translated into paintings marked by fractures, cracks, and chaotic mark-making contrasted with spacious areas of light, expanse, and softness.  

Informed by the Zen practice of shikantaza, my process is about sitting with imperfection, impermanency and incompleteness. Beginning with intuitive marks, the fault lines and imperfections in these initial layers guide later development of complex surfaces. Working slowly, the time of creating for me is a healing practice that helps me hold the pain and beauty of life’s impermanency.  

Each painting invites viewers into a time and space of contemplation about the difficulties of existing in worlds that are at once violent and beautiful. It creates a space for sitting with the wounds we carry and the ones we inflict, offering us the opportunity to slow down and explore the potential for healing that is within each one of us.

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Montréal, Canada and living in Österlen, Sweden, Sharon has a BA in Art History from McGill University (1986) and a PhD in Humanities from Concordia University (1996). She is currently completing an intensive 2-year mentorship programme with artist Marianne Mitchell who is based in the US. Prior to committing to painting full-time, she had a career as an academic in Canada, Sweden and Ireland. Her publications on aesthetics and education have focused on the sensory dimensions of our encounters with our environment, including both human and more than human others.