Sharon's Biography
A native of California,
Sharon Wise also has roots in Hawaii (both her mother and father are from there) where she pays frequent visits. Sharon feels she owes her love of flowers, the subject of most of her still life works, to her mother, an avid Rosarian. As a child, she spent Sundays at local nurseries and arboretums with her mother, feeding her appreciation for flowers. Her love of art began at age eight when she became interested in photography and started snapping photos of all-things-natural.
Her interest in art continued into middle and secondary school where she was introduced to the grid system. At college, Sharon majored in Business but filled her remaining schedule with art electives, everything from ceramics, stained glass and jewelry making to life drawing
After college, Sharon studied oil painting, actively seeking out artists that were successful in their chosen field from which to learn.These individuals inspired her to become both a better painter and overall artist. Most notably, she studied portraiture for several years under the tutelage of Virgil Elliott, a Classic Realist renowned for his portraits. Sharon feels that she especially values what he was able to teach her about light and also the power of observation and says that she considers Elliott today’s Rembrandt.
Sharon finally decided to experiment with watercolor and, after fourteen years, found "her home-away-from home" in that medium. She has studied under Jan Kunz and Diane Maxey to name two. Most influential however has been Eric Christensen, a fellow artist to whom she gives her highest regard in the area of hyper-realism.He achieves this through progressive layering using standard watercolor paint, a technique normally reserved for oils.
Sharon has built on this knowledge, developing her own technique with layering, using as many as twenty individual layers in any given painting. She says that people who view her art for the first time are often unsure of the medium because of the clarity.
Sharon resides in Grants Pass, Oregon with her husband & grown children where she shares a family compound of 7 acres in the Applegate Valley.
Sharon Wise also has roots in Hawaii (both her mother and father are from there) where she pays frequent visits. Sharon feels she owes her love of flowers, the subject of most of her still life works, to her mother, an avid Rosarian. As a child, she spent Sundays at local nurseries and arboretums with her mother, feeding her appreciation for flowers. Her love of art began at age eight when she became interested in photography and started snapping photos of all-things-natural.
Her interest in art continued into middle and secondary school where she was introduced to the grid system. At college, Sharon majored in Business but filled her remaining schedule with art electives, everything from ceramics, stained glass and jewelry making to life drawing
After college, Sharon studied oil painting, actively seeking out artists that were successful in their chosen field from which to learn.These individuals inspired her to become both a better painter and overall artist. Most notably, she studied portraiture for several years under the tutelage of Virgil Elliott, a Classic Realist renowned for his portraits. Sharon feels that she especially values what he was able to teach her about light and also the power of observation and says that she considers Elliott today’s Rembrandt.
Sharon finally decided to experiment with watercolor and, after fourteen years, found "her home-away-from home" in that medium. She has studied under Jan Kunz and Diane Maxey to name two. Most influential however has been Eric Christensen, a fellow artist to whom she gives her highest regard in the area of hyper-realism.He achieves this through progressive layering using standard watercolor paint, a technique normally reserved for oils.
Sharon has built on this knowledge, developing her own technique with layering, using as many as twenty individual layers in any given painting. She says that people who view her art for the first time are often unsure of the medium because of the clarity.
Sharon resides in Grants Pass, Oregon with her husband & grown children where she shares a family compound of 7 acres in the Applegate Valley.