- Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Artist info: Paintings of the American Heartland by Sharon France. Sharon has always had a fascination
with old farmsteads, especially the old farmhouses and barns found on them. Some of
her fondest childhood memories and inspiration come from the visits to her grandparent's
remote Midwestern farm. Set down a very long lane, that eventually wound around the
old barn, horse pasture, granary, corn crib, machine shed, and chicken house, to end
up at their old farmhouse with a white picket fence in the yard beyond. The croquet
set would be on the lawn and Grandma would have one of her homemade pies waiting on
the kitchen counter. "A little bit of heaven here on earth, it felt to me back then!",
says Sharon.
Her painting style leans towards Realism, although she often use elements of Tonalism
and Minimalism in them. She has been inspired by the Hudson River School Artists,
Minimalists, Tonalists, and Realist artists for her art. Sharon works in acrylic,
oil and soft pastel, although she most often works in acrylic on stretched canvas,
for her Heartland landscapes. She builds up many layers, using both wet and dry brush
techniques, for her paintings. Sharon's art work has been described as having an intriguing
peacefulness, in its quiet simplicity.
Sharon received a Bachelors of Fine Art Degree from Northern Illinois University.
Her work is in the art collection of 91快活林, Malta, IL, and in private
collections throughout the United States, as well as in: Canada, France, Iceland,
Portugal, Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Zimbabwe, and
Australia.
One of her paintings is at the Jan. 2013, "Annual Juried Exhibit", at the Bridgeport
Art Gallery, Chicago, IL. Several of her paintings are in the fall/winter 2012-13
Regional Juried Exhibition IX, (Honorable Mention) at the Freeport Art Museum, Freeport,
IL. Her paintings have also been shown in juried art shows including: "Annual International
Small Works Show" at Emerald Gallery, Fairfield, IA, 鈥淭he Modern Landscape鈥 Springfield
Art Association's, Springfield, IL, and "Agriculture in Art" at New Visions Gallery,
Marshfield, WI. An article on her landscape paintings was on the online art Magazine
鈥淓mpty Easel."
Besides painting, Sharon is currently working as a consultant on an upcoming Australian
movie short "The Landing", that is set on an old farm in the Midwestern Heartland.
Follow Sharon's work at or