John Sharp
John Sharp
Clarksville, United States
About John Sharp
The origins of my work rely, primarily, on happenstance. That is I am not interested in manipulating an environment to suit a desired outcome. What I find and use for my work must be represented in their found positions. If I have to put my hands on it, I feel I have somehow cheated the subject matter out of its worth; there is a beauty in accepting things the way that you find them. In search of a new subject, I may spend hours driving or walking around before I discover something that captivates my visual interests.
My main objective is to fulfill my desire for conceptual abstraction while representing the subject matter photo-realistically; I am choosing content over context. In determining the content, I consider the basic elements of design - particularly repetition, texture, form, and line.
Texture and repetition are most satisfyingly conveyed through my work when industrial or utilitarian objects are found having been left to the elements. As rust sets in or wood rots, I find that beautiful textures and colors reveal themselves. This relieves me of the obligation to control the subjects, and, therefore, I find myself deeply satisfied with taking them in just as they are.
My main objective is to fulfill my desire for conceptual abstraction while representing the subject matter photo-realistically; I am choosing content over context. In determining the content, I consider the basic elements of design - particularly repetition, texture, form, and line.
Texture and repetition are most satisfyingly conveyed through my work when industrial or utilitarian objects are found having been left to the elements. As rust sets in or wood rots, I find that beautiful textures and colors reveal themselves. This relieves me of the obligation to control the subjects, and, therefore, I find myself deeply satisfied with taking them in just as they are.
Education
2016: Master of Art in Teaching- Visual Arts K-12, Columbia College Chicago
2009: Bachelor of Applied Art, Central Michigan University
2009: Bachelor of Applied Art, Central Michigan University
Exhibitions
2017: Riverfest Juried Art Show (First Place) Wilma Rudolph Event Center - Clarksville, TN
2016: em(body), Uptown Arts Center -Chicago, IL
2015: Who Do You Think You Are, Columbia Color Chicago - Chicago, IL
2014: Square Foot Show, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
How We Make It, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
2013:
Square Foot Show, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
How We Make It, The Arts of LIfe, Inc. - Chicago, IL
2012:
Collage and Comics, Kinzie Corridor Community Gallery - Chicago, IL
Square Foot Show, The Arts of LIfe, Inc. - Chicago, IL
Drawing Connections, Siena Art Institute - Siena, Italy
2010:
How We Make Each Other, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
Self Portrait Project, Art House Coop- Brooklyn, NY
2009:
Art Jam, The Galaxie- Chicago, IL
2016: em(body), Uptown Arts Center -Chicago, IL
2015: Who Do You Think You Are, Columbia Color Chicago - Chicago, IL
2014: Square Foot Show, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
How We Make It, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
2013:
Square Foot Show, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
How We Make It, The Arts of LIfe, Inc. - Chicago, IL
2012:
Collage and Comics, Kinzie Corridor Community Gallery - Chicago, IL
Square Foot Show, The Arts of LIfe, Inc. - Chicago, IL
Drawing Connections, Siena Art Institute - Siena, Italy
2010:
How We Make Each Other, The Arts of Life, Inc. - Chicago, IL
Self Portrait Project, Art House Coop- Brooklyn, NY
2009:
Art Jam, The Galaxie- Chicago, IL
