sharon coles

Bestselling Artist

United Kingdom

For two years I studied a part-time access to art course, followed by two years of a part time degree, but it did not give me what I felt I needed. I left Art education, put away my paints and concentrated on raising my family. My lifelong love of Art and especially painting never left me, and in August of this year, with my family older, I returned to practising the thing I love. In the few short months since I have returned to painting I feel my works have evolved remarkably quickly and am thrilled to say I have sold all of my works to date and have even enjoyed three private read more ...

For two years I studied a part-time access to art course, followed by two years of a part time degree, but it did not give me what I felt I needed. I left Art education, put away my paints and concentrated on raising my family. My lifelong love of Art and especially painting never left me, and in August of this year, with my family older, I returned to practising the thing I love. In the few short months since I have returned to painting I feel my works have evolved remarkably quickly and am thrilled to say I have sold all of my works to date and have even enjoyed three private commissions.
My influences in my work largely come from the many years I have spent observing varying Artworks. The likes of Lucien Freud, Euan Uglow, Cezanne, Manet, Caravaggio and Rothko to name but a few of many. I have studied how Uglow uses an almost obsessive and exacting measuring technique in his portraits and is a device I employ in my own portraits to really capture a subject precisely. This combined with the influence of Matisse and Rothko colour obsevations. Colour theory is one of my favourite subjects and I love employing such devices to really make a painting ‘pop’; the use of complementary colours such as yellow against purple, blue against orange and red against green really make a painting ‘sing’ especially from across a room- creating a real wow factor and focal piece. I have loved observing artists who use bold brush strokes in their works. I use this approach in my own works as I believe the use of bold, confident, striking brush strokes create a bold, confident painting that captures vibrancy, energy and a feel of life and continuancy in work. My subject matter is chosen to reflect this energy, Icons, whose personalities or achievements exude spirit, dynamism and pure life.