Reception: Saturday, June 5, 2-4 PM

Since building a studio in Florence over the summers of 2006/2007, my paintings have been inspired by "home" - not only the home that is my own backyard, but also my childhood home, where I learned the art of portraiture under the guidance of my father, Hill Sharp, an Indiana portrait artist, watercolorist, and lithographer.

I spent my young adult years studying at Pratt Institute, Belles Artes de San Miguel, Mexico, The Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, and later owned the Blue Wheel Gallery in West Barnstable, MA.

Painting in the middle of the backyard, amidst gardens, trees, birds, and sky has also inspired new floral still lifes, using flowers picked from the garden that day. These are painted with prima touché brushwork and a spontaneous palette. Landscapes also naturally flow from this setting, as I paint plein air, the technique of the Impressionists.