Sharon Whitham

I am a printmaker and mixed media artist inspired by the beauty, resilience and changes that occur in the natural world, and most especially the paradox of permanence/impermanence.  I am interested in the organic shapes and patterns of mountains, rocks, shells, molds, feathers, tree bark, grasses, moss, etc. I am drawn to these by their beauty of design and shape, their color, a sense of history, connectedness and transience. My work has elements of both the representational and the abstract, using images from the landscape, patterns in nature, and spiritual imagery. Themes in my work include balance, loss, change, permanence/impermanence, cycles and rhythms, spiritual and physical journeys and exploring bigger questions of who we are, why we are here, and our connections to each other and the natural world. Recently I have been influenced by the crises around climate change, immigration and social justice. I am a member of an art collective called SHE, Shared Habitat Earth. We are a group of artists with a shared concern for the environment and the effects of climate change on humans and all flora and fauna on the earth. We are creating art to show nature’s beauty as well as its’ fragility, exhibiting in numerous venues and partnering with organizations to take action.

I am drawn to the printmaking medium as it allows me to use both my left and right brain abilities, utilizing both rigorous technique and the flow of imagination and creativity. The printmaking process has many unpredictable steps of production leading to the creation of a final image. The appeal for me is that it can be both spontaneous and highly technical. There is a ‘letting go’ in the process once the ink leaves the plate and transfers to the paper as it goes through the press.

Whatever process or technique is used - both the plate and the paper go on a journey as the ink and images are layered.  I am a part of that process and the journey is both internal and literal. Every print is original and unique and the transformation that occurs in creating a print has all the elements of vision, struggle, mystery, grace and sometimes illumination.

I spend part of the year working out of my studio in the Boston area and nearly half the year on an island off the coast of Maine, Great Cranberry Island. I never tire of being inspired by the constantly changing light and landscape of Maine. For the past 7 years I have also spent part of each winter in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I am forever enthralled with the kind and beautiful nature of the Mexican people and its varied landscape and wildlife adaptations. Mexico got into my soul after spending a year there in my early 20’s. It continues to call to me and inspire.