Studio 30: Sharon Virtue
The Max Thelen Studio is a studio residency program generously funded by the Fenwick Foundation in commemoration of Max Thelen Jr. The residency aims to support emerging artists by providing free studio space, exhibition opportunity, and exposure to the public for one year.
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I Have a Dream, Sharon Virtue, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20".
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Akasha Flora, Sharon Virtue, acrylic and goldleaf on canvas, 12" x 24".
Printemps, Sharon Virtue, acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24". |
2022–2023
The Max Thelen Studio Residency
mixed media
Sharon Virtue is a British artist of Jamaican and Irish heritage, living in Fairfax, California. She is a multi-media artist, with a BA in Fine art and a Masters in Community arts from Goldsmiths University in London, U.K. She has a strong social practice and believes artists are agents of transformation.
Her works narrate stories of shape shifting, metamorphosis and power. They contain mythological beings, and archetypal symbols which exist amidst the veils of the natural and supernatural realms.
The viewer is invited to encounter the magical places and beings that inhabit her imagination, to be immersed in fantastical landscapes of brilliant color; to explore, decipher and be immersed in a sumptuous dreamlike atmosphere, strange yet familiar.
“The current atmosphere of racism and the visceral effects of climate change are emerging in my recent paintings. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter the paintings are executed with a degree of extraordinary freedom, playfulness and colorful expressionism, using acrylic dayglow paints, glitter and gold leaf.
“It is my nature to make dynamic, fearless and joyful expressions, perhaps this is an attempt to make ugly truths more easy to look at, and ignite reflection on our incredulous reality.” – Sharon Virtue
Contact Info:
IG: @shabanackle
Studio hours: by appointment
