Sharon O'Sullivan
"Windows and Visions"
SEPT 13TH – OCT 27TH 2024
Industry Preview:
Thursday, Sept 12th 11-1p
Opening Reception:
Friday, Sept 13th 6-8p
About the Artist
Sharon O’Sullivan is an intuitive abstract artist primarily painting in oil on multiple surfaces including hand stretched canvases, rusted steel, wood board, and her own photographs. Her work is expressive and utilizes a wide palate of color, textures, and surfaces.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, and has studied art at the Art Students League in New York, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Rutgers University, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and with abstract artist Emanuele Cacciatore. In addition to her painting, she creates welded metal sculptures in steel. She has organized a small art collective at her studio for women focused on abstract art.
Sharon grew up as the 4th child of 7 in a large boisterous family in Syracuse, NY. Because her family and birth order have been so formative in her development as a person and an artist, she signs all of her pieces with the number 4. Prior to devoting herself to art full-time, she had a career in media and at a non-profit based in New York City. Her studios are in Summit, NJ and on Martha’s Vineyard.
As a continuation of her work at a non-profit dedicated to ending extreme poverty, ten percent of her proceeds for every piece sold is donated to charity. The focus of donations are NGOs supporting women, children, or those responding to emergency global relief efforts whether due to natural disaster, political unrest, or climate change. In 2024, FACE Africa will be the NGO receiving support through the sales of the artist’s work.
Artist Statement
Sharon O’Sullivan’s artwork conveys her emotional realities and invites the viewer to connect personally with the experience through her expressive use of colors, textures and surfaces in her abstract paintings.
An intuitive artist, Sharon paints primarily in oil applied to a wide range of materials, including rusted steel, wood, board, photographs, as well as canvas.
Her creative process begins before the paint is applied as she prepares her surfaces, whether custom stretching the canvas, having the metal fabricated and then rusting each piece, or taking the photographs of subjects she finds compelling and interesting to paint. This allows a thoughtful connection with the piece as the beginning of her artistic journey.
Sharon especially enjoys the dynamic interaction of painting with on rusted steel panels and has delved deeper into working with metal with welding and sculpting steel. This process of expanding her material repertoire continues to evolve and enhance both her painting and her metal artwork.