Before we dive into the life and work of artist, Sharon Kenny, I wanted to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who has subscribed recently. Layers Of A Creative Life started out just about one year ago with a few subscribers (a couple of wonderful souls even pledged small donations). Over the course of the year, it has grown to over 1,000 subscribers, this with the help of each of you! Thank you for sharing and commenting on these newsletters, sending me your work from the tutorials and most of all, thank you for creating this space with me.
Special gratitude to Margaux Kent of Resounding Little Voices for the gentlest of nudges to start this publication and Matthew Long from Beyond the Book Shelf for his support, encouragement and help in promoting my work.
Looking forward to so much more.
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Sharon Kenny is a life long artist and painter, nature enthusiast and deep diving truth seeker. Over the years, we have shared many great conversations on art and life. Sharon @Sharon Kenny Art is an all around inspiring human, someone I’m very happy to call a friend. Her work is full of depth, emotion, texture and color. She is constantly evolving and her paintings provide us with a profound window into her world. Visit Sharon’s website for a more in depth look at her work.
Below is a bit of Sharon’s work and thoughts. I hope you enjoy listening to the first episode of Wildly Made Spirit (above and on Spotify).
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"White Whale" oil on canvas 48 x 36 2016
“I was born into a family of artists. When I was young, I would accompany my mother and grandmother to their art classes and exhibits at The Harrisburg Art Association. I graduated from Moore College of Art & Design where I studied design and printmaking. My fine art professors lit a flame under me while at college which inspired me to pursue painting further. My imagery has evolved from a kind of fracturing nature with light compositions to a more raw mark. The philosophy of my work is subconsciousness and memory. I seek to present intuitive, immediate marks that hold a more honest representation of life's internal landscape.”
-Sharon Kenny
“3.18.16" oil on canvas 48 x 36 2016
“My White Whale Series, painted in 2016, were developed at a time when my mother was slipping away from us in a coma due to a neurological event. While visiting in her hospital room for over a month, images and sounds seeped into my subconscious. Finally, the dream I had the night before she passed, involved her becoming a white whale and swimming towards the horizon. The compilation of this input found their way into my marks which were my most abstract to date.”
-S. Kenny
See more of the White Whale series
“Oaxacan Landscape" oil on panel 48 x 36 2018
"Libby" oil on canvas 40 x 50 2018
“Oaxaca; Last Days”, from 2018, is a series inspired by the city's stark light and sharply delineated shadow. During a time when a great shift was happening in my life, I was struck at how this Mexican city's colorful landscape continually challenged my perception and undermine any preconceived ideas of stability.
-S. Kenny
See more here of Oaxaca.
"Dig II" oil, cardboard, and charcoal on panel 6 x 6 in 2023
"Bread, Cups, and Gardens" oil on canvas 36 x 36 in 2023
“My Herculaneum paintings, started in 2019 and are still ongoing, strive to convey the fragility of life, the trauma, and the parallels that can exist between people separated by nineteen hundred years. My imagery in these paintings is an abstract representation of what is still at Herculaneum and the commonality of our human existence. I have used the actual colors and floor plans of buildings found at the site and replicated graffiti writing on walls with marks incorporated in my own style. I used underpainting and varied surface textures to emulate an archaeological process of revealing what is found at a site.”
-S. Kenny
See more of the Herculaneum series.
Recent work: “Vibration” oil on canvas 36 x 36 2024
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In Gratitude,
XXX Char
