Interview with Sharon Haney, Artist of the Month November 2014
Sharon has been PSST Secretary this year and volunteered for the time
consuming position of Chair, Art of the Pastel 2015. She is also on the
boards of The Art League of Fort Bend and the Fine Arts League of
Brenham, and is also a member of the Austin Pastel Society. Her artwork
is in private collections throughout the U.S. and in England. View her website and its beautiful variety of work.
PSST Why are you an artist or how did you choose to become an artist?
SH I never considered myself an artist until I read the definition of artist, which encompasses many attributes and traits. I always drew and doodled but never had any traditional training. PSST Where do you paint? Home, studio, corner of a room? SH In the past I painted all over the house but after ruining the dining room table top with watercolors I converted our smaller guest bedroom into a studio as I didn’t want to ruin our rugs with pastel dust. My studio isn’t beautiful but it is functional. The space is small so when I back up to view the easel I am standing in the doorway. I moved a piece of carpet in over the wood floors and I have covered that with a flat white bed sheet so that every so often I can throw the dusty sheet into the wash. I have a large Windberg easel with extendable lights which works well for pastel painting and a long table set up at my side covered with pastels, papers and tools. My old iPhone is set up on a JBL player so I can play music while I paint. PSST What is your subject matter and how do you choose it? SH Although I take thousands of photos and have a huge reference file on my iPad to choose from, I find it very difficult to land on one particular photo from which to begin the next painting. I try to challenge myself by painting different subjects. I know many artists are known for a particular style or subject but I find there are so many things I want to paint that I have a difficult time limiting myself to just one subject. My worst nightmare is painting trees so I am on a mission to actually paint an entire tree I can personally feel proud of. This could end up being what I am known for – a series of bad trees. PSST What is your art background? Academic, self-taught, workshops? SH As a child I was always feeding, grooming, riding and drawing horses. As an adult I was introduced to oil painting while living in England and looking for something to both occupy my time and make friends. Then after an art drought of almost twenty years while raising my family, working and several household moves later, I took up watercolor. At that time I was working during the day and watercolor happened to be the only weekday evening art class I could find. Shortly thereafter my job was outsourced to India and I had free time during the day, hallelujah! Brenda Hash was offering afternoon lessons in pastel, so I spent my free time studying pastel and drawing with her. Brenda introduced me to the ultimate beauty of pastel and I have been hooked on pastel and it’s vibrant color ever since. In life as in art, I consider myself a continuous student and take workshops whenever possible to hone and learn new skills. I also enjoy Pastel Magazine’s Skill Building column and try to work some of those suggestions into a painting now and then. My son, an Air Force pilot, has commissioned a painting of his B-52 plane…in oil! So, I have now completed my artistic journey back to working in oil paint, although pastel is still my primary and most loved medium. PSST How do you describe your painting style and color choices? SH If someone looked at three of my paintings displayed side-by-side I doubt that they could identify all three as mine. Developing my own personal style is something that I continue to work on. I feel my style will come with time after I have worked my way through the thrill of trying new and different techniques and have settled into my own unique pattern. I do love color and using unexpected colors in unexpected places in a painting is fun for me. I seldom use black and recently I thoroughly enjoyed painting a geisha with the challenge of not using any black pastel, using very dark dark plums and purples instead. PSST If you paint from life (plein air or a model), describe an interesting or funny experience. SH I have only painted plein air a few times but find it very enjoyable. While being completely engrossed painting dunes in Matagorda one weekend I was startled by a bare chested hairy-bellied man who appeared looking over my left shoulder. It turned out he was on a two-week vacation and was driving the coastline looking for the perfect Texas beach. We ended up having a very nice conversation about South Padre and a few of the good restaurants there. I find hearing comments from the public passersby enjoyable, as they are always complimentary - even when I’m working through the “ugly” stage of the painting or working on a painting that I know will end up being tossed. Their comments tend to cheer me up and encourage me to keep at it. |
PSST What do you consider your best painting ever and why?
SH My best painting ever is always the next one in my head. Why? Because you can never best a great imagination. PSST What art events do you have scheduled? SH Each year I attend the Fulshear Art Walk and it has been enjoyable seeing that event grow. It’s held in April outdoors and it’s full of friends, neighbors and families out for a beautiful afternoon of art, food and entertainment. PSST How do you sell/show your work? Galleries, online, home studio tour, open house? SH My work sells through area galleries and online. Facebook has been a very surprising tool in sales. This year I sold six paintings just by posting them on my personal page. PSST What is your price range? SH My price range varies. I do try to keep my prices very reasonable as I am not a nationally recognized artist. I use good frames and museum glass which is very expensive but worth every penny. I could never support myself selling my artwork but it is nice to be able to cover my expenses and take a workshop now and then. Those pastels are not inexpensive and there is always some new product or color to buy and try. PSST Do you have any marketing or exhibiting tips that you would like to share? SH I feel that having a sense of consistency in framing and subject matter will make an exhibit look and feel cohesive. As for marketing, that is something each artist needs to do every day. Most of my pieces will have an envelope taped onto the back of the frame, which includes my business card along with a printout “About Pastel” explaining exactly what pastel is, how to care for it and how to clean museum glass. Pastelists need to educate the public about pastel. Also, if the painting subject has a story behind it I tell a little about that in the printout as I feel it gives the artwork personality. Buyers seem to purchase art because they feel a connection to the piece and I want them to learn about and enjoy my paintings. PSST What social media, websites or art-focused groups are you associated with? SH I have my website (ArtfulSharon.com) and I use facebook for both a personal and business page. In addition to being a member of two local art leagues I am also active in PSST. PSST What are your goals as an artist? SH To develop a looser, more unique style that is recognizable as mine and to become better and better with each painting coming off the easel. No backsliding. PSST What do you hope people gain from viewing your work? SH Pleasure and appreciation of the beauty of pastel art. PSST Do you have one quote or testimonial from a collector that you can share? SH “When Sharon mentioned to me that she had taken up painting, I thought It sounded like a fun hobby to start. When she showed me her “Indian Boy” pastel, I was astonished! It was obvious that she had a God given gift, not just a talent to hone. Sharon’s use of color is joyous and I’m proud to be a collector of her art and look forward to acquiring more of her pieces”. ~ Susan J., Baton Rouge, LA PSST What projects or activities are you working on for PSST? SH Currently I am the chairperson for PSST’s annual show Art of the Pastel 2015. This year the month long exhibit will be held at Galveston’s Third Coast Gallery in October of 2015. This annual open event showcases the best in pastel painting and is an excellent opportunity to view a variety of paintings together in one venue. We will have an opening reception and all of the paintings this year will be for sale, which will give the buying public the chance to purchase from an assortment of high quality pastel paintings.
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