Shar Coulson
Second Prize is a two-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine
My Inspiration
Nature with its unpredictability and complex beauty is by far my greatest inspiration. I think of each painting as a visual poem, inspired by the space between the wind and the water, the fauna and the flora. When the color, texture and gestural shape-matter come together harmoniously, the painting becomes itself.
Faunaflorafigure147 is part of my series Between the Known and Unknown. In this body of work, I continue to explore the realm between what I know of nature and what is only revealed through intuitive exploration.
My Design Strategy
I find my best work happens when I let go and express myself spontaneously. Embracing the organic shapes and gestural line work that are a result of my process. Drips, splashes and brush marks, become anchor points allowing the plant-like forms, landscape elements and hidden fauna to inform my next moves.
I paint outdoors so I can paint indoors. As a studio painter creating nature-based work in the heart of one of America’s largest cities, I find the perfect counterbalance in plein air painting. Several times a year, I participate in national plein air events where my objective is not to capture the realism of what I see, but to “gather truths.” To build an inventory of textures, colors and sensations that I will draw upon in future work.
My Working Process
For every action there is a reaction, although not equal or opposite. Talking about my process is a good reminder that the passion and drive for painting comes out of creating something from nothing. Along with the confidence of knowing that the marks
I make will uniquely define each piece as my own.
To me, drawing and painting are virtually one in the same. As I scratch lines into the wet paint or pour and splatter over established shapes, the organic textures and rhythmic gestures that result resonate with my vision. My go-to tools and materials include flat chip bristle brushes, flexible plastic combs, cellulose-based papers, vine charcoal and most importantly water-based paints…acrylic, casein and latex paints dry quickly and allow me to create layers of opaque and translucent surfaces. In the end, mixing an unexpected color the sits perfectly next to its complement or embracing an unintended organic texture that defines a shape, helps define what I know to be true and what I’ve yet to uncover.
Contact Details:
Email: sharcoulson@gmail.com
Website: www.sharcoulson.com