My passion is horses. It always has been. I love the beauty of seeing them run. Their spirits capture my heart whenever I see them. I try to reflect their stunning beauty and playful spirits in my work. My abstracts, while not paintings of horses, still reflect my feelings of their spirits. I continue to search for new ways to reflect their amazing souls through abstraction. I also love to paint other animals. I love the freedom expressed by animals in their movements and eyes. I try to capture them either in realism, semi-abstract or abstract. No matter what style I use, I am always sharing with the viewer my feelings and thoughts about the wonder of animals.
As a child, Sharon was forever filling up tablets with her sketches and she could be found painting on anything and everything. Her dad, a self-taught pen and ink cartoonist encouraged her art journey. He made sure she had the largest box of crayons and ample paper and paint.
Art was always Sharon’s preferred subject in school. She acquired a degree from a commercial art institute, which lead to her being employed by a large advertising firm in St. Paul. She married and raised a son and daughter, who became her main focus for the next 20 years.
But that didn’t stop the creative process. Her daughter’s pinafores were works of art, with appliques telling a story. Developing her tailoring skills, she maintained an alterations business from home for the next 33 years. When Sharon and her husband became “empty nesters,” her alteration business ended and her art journey resumed full throttle.
Workshops by local and national artists provided Sharon with the technical base she now applies to her paintings. Her expertise continued by meeting with five watercolor artists for the next 18 years. Her tremendous love of horses is reflected in her abstracted representational pieces. Visiting a dude ranch each year renewed this passion for horses. Sharon continues to experiment with different mediums and abstract acrylics became her present focus. In 2013, Sharon and her husband moved from inclement Minnesota weather and built a home in San Tan Valley, making beautiful Arizona their permanent home. Want to put down her “art roots,” Sharon became a member of three art guilds. With many art opportunities available, Sharon continues to show her work at outdoor venues and galleries. Sharon feels that she was give a gift to share. Sharon believes “Art is inside my soul wanting to be painted on a canvas, board or watercolor paper. I am not complete without creating.” Her first loves, and the subjects she paints most frequently, are horses.
Sharon Peterson
252 E. Red Mesa Trail
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143
482-453-5532
Facebook: Watercolors by Sharon
wcbysharon2@gmail.com
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2015-16 Gilbert Visual Arts
2 Honorable Mentions 2015
Honorable Mention 2016
2015 Anthem Art Festival
2015 Juried Olive Mill Art Show
2016 Juried Olive Mill Art Show (3)
2016 Juried Fountain Hills Fine Art and Wine
2016 Juried Gold Canyon Art Festival
2000-2014 Art On A Line St. Paul, MN
2013 Plymouth Fine Arts Council Plymouth MN
People’s Choice 2010
Award of Excellence 2010
1998-2014 North Star Watercolor Society
Award of Merit 2001
Award of Merit 2004
Honorable Mention 2009
2010-12 Crosslake Art Club Crosslake MN
People’s Choice 2010
2009 Juried Gallery Ninety-six
People’s Choice Award
2008 Juried Gallery Ninety-six
People’s Choice Award & piece was acquired
1st Place Award
COLLECTORS:
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Carrincross MN
Sue Davidson MN
Fotini Donnelly MN
Robin Lindorfer MN
Marge Ferraro MN
Janice Strohmierer MN
Vicki Read MN
ART EDUCATION
Commercial Art 1962-64 Minneapolis MN
MEMBERSHIPS
2014 - Present Juried member of the San Tan Artists Guild
2014 - Present Member of Gilbert Visual Artist League
2014 - Present Member of Mesa Arts Center
2014 - Present Member of Arizona Art Alliance
2010- 2012 Member of Crosslake Art Club Crosslake MN
2002– 2014 Member of Gallery Ninety-six
1998 - 2014 Member of North Star Watercolor Society
WORKSHOPS/CLASSES
Frank Webb 1999
Bridget O’Conner 2004
Judy Blaine 2005/2006
Rose Edin 2006/2007
Shirley Bedient 1995
Michaelin Otis 2001
Karlyn Holman 2001/2003
Sterling Edwards 2013
Gerald Brommer 2002
Lana Grow 2005-20014
GALLERIES:
First Avenue Gallery Rochester MN
Eaton’s Ranch Gallery, WY
