Biography
Mark Sharp creates paintings and works on paper that are inspired by real landscape elements. In Sharp's work, the experience of the observed world is transposed into energetic abstraction, a dynamic encounter with form and space. Sharp's canvases are highly complex compositions, with gestural brush strokes, layered glazes, and rich, subdued color.
Sharp was born in 1967 in Holland, Michigan. As a child he attended private drawing classes, and while in high school he participated in art classes at Hope College, where his father was a professor. Sharp had a strong interest in music, and studied the piano while in college. Music is still an important presence in his life, constantly playing while Sharp works in his studio. The artist attended Hope College, transferring to the University of Michigan, where he received his BFA in 1990.
Sharp's early interest was in representational art, drawing the figure, and painting from life. While in college he became interested in the possibilities of abstract painting, and developed an appreciation for the work of Hoffman, Hartley, and de Kooning. Since abstraction was discouraged in the program at the University of Michigan, Sharp put his energies into ceramics, which remains for him an ongoing interest.
Sharp moved to Washington, DC in 1990 with his wife, where they both worked as graphic designers. In the early 1990's they moved to Chicago and now reside in Oak Park, IL. Sharp's current body of work began in the late 1990's, with paintings influenced by the landscape. Over time, the work became more active and more layered, and varied in its palette. Sharp is presently developing larger paintings, with bolder forms and stronger gestures. Sharp's work reflects two of his great interests: nature and Chinese art. Since his youth, he has encountered the natural world through extensive hiking and camping. Sharp's home is filled with Chinese furniture and landscape paintings, whose structure and indeterminate space seem reflected in his own work.
Sharp has had solo exhibitions at Concordia University and the Harrison Street Gallery in Oak Park, IL, and has participated in many group exhibitions. His work is in a number of public collections, including a commissioned painting in the collection of Concordia University.
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