LOUISE SHARPLESS Greenville, NC

here-is-louise@hotmail.com

Biography


I was born in Bloomsburg, Pa in 1950. As early as recollection allows I loved the outdoors, playing sports, drawing, microscopes, telescopes, and experimenting with those cute little science sets that I would use to blow up test tubes in my bedroom with when my Mom and Dad weren’t home.


Surely I was destined to become a sports hero, great artist or a mad scientist! Too many hobbies kept my interests divided and kept me in a constant state of distraction. It was difficult to concentrate on any one study as I enjoyed them all. At age 14 I started house cleaning for the neighbor lady so I could afford guitar lessons. Oh no, another new hobby (it was great fun!).


I attended a three year design school, York Academy of Arts (now the Bradley School of Design) from

1969-1972. then a funny thing happened to me…….LIFE! I started a job with Bell of Pa (now Verizon) and was going to stay on just long enough to pay off my student loans. One morning I woke up and realized 30 years had passed and it was time to retire. Those cold Pennsylvania months that I yearned for when I skied the Pocono’s and ice fished with my brother in the mountains suddenly started to chill me to the bone.


July 31, 2009 I moved to warm, sunny Greenville with my cats. Wow, there were galleries, art workshops, and talented people everywhere. I took some lessons from Jeff Jakub, workshops at Art in the Carolinas in Raleigh, a week with Sterling Edwards and spent a week in Atlanta with Robert Burridge. I’ve been studying and painting since September. One day on a road trip to lil Washington I stumbled across a gallery that was getting ready to open, the Inner Banks Artisan Center. www.innerbanksartisanscenter.com The managing artist was looking for art work and I went home and got the only two paintings I had to my name. Both were juried into the gallery and I have been exhibiting there since their opening in December 2009.


I am a member of the Greenville Museum of Art, Craven Arts Council, Beaufort County Arts Council, Brushstrokes of Greenville, East Carolina Camera Club, and a gallery artist at the Inner Banks Artisan Center.
Artist Statement


I have always had an insatiable interest in the delights that Mother Nature provides for us. Fascinated by the beauty around me, I often find the subjects in my paintings drawn from the scenes of nature that have been carved into my memory. Trees are one of my favorite subjects, the heavily laden leaf covered limbs in the summer, bright fall colors, bare nudity in winter exposing each trees true structure. I refer to this season as “exposing their personalities”; then in spring, the rebirth of life becomes apparent. Once again the trees display their showy reds, yellows and greens on their unfurling buds; I am fascinated by the “personalities” of trees!


It is from these careful observations that I love to create my paintings and capture the feelings I have for life.


My chosen mediums are by order of favorite: acrylic, watercolor and pastel. I especially like acrylic because I love to experiment using glazes and different ways to manipulate the paint, painting with my fingers, paper towels and different size brushes. These three mediums allow me to work quickly and change my painting in a relatively short time if desired, then go back in and add more glaze and detail on the dried composition. I also enjoy the intensity of acrylics, vibrate strong color is very exciting for me and I believe it compliments my personality as the leaves compliment the trees.

RECENT EXHIBITIONS - 2010


August - Greenville Museum of Art members juried show, Greenville, NC


August - City Hall Art Show, Greenville, NC


August - Beaufort County Arts Council juried photography show, Washington, NC


August - Historic Turnage Theatre - Inner Banks Artisan Center Show, Washington, NC.


June – Historic Turnage Theatre Jazz Show, Washington, NC


May – Historic Turnage Theatre Brushstokes Show, Washington, NC


April - Grifton Shad Festival, Grifton, NC


April – Inner Banks Artisan Center Brushstrokes Show, Washington, NC


Future scheduled shows:

December 2010 Atavola, Red Banks Road, Greenville, NC Solo Show

August 2011 North Carolina Estuarium, Washington, NC Solo Show


AWARDS: Beaufort County Arts Council juried photography show, Washington, NC.

Honorable mention, category: Nature.


Grifton Shad Festival- 1st. Place Acrylic painting, Honorable mention mixed media.


East Carolina Camera Club – 1st Place, Level 1 categories: Landscape and Animal.

eastcarolinacameraclub.org


Education: York Academy of Arts


Workshops: Jeff Jakub, Robert Burridge, Sterling Edwards, Sean Dye