INTENTION
I paint and I work in clay. I chose themes and subjects based on my day to day experiences. I'm not interested in creating rooms full of dusty old unappreciated paintings. So I try to create work I think will be appealing to a large audience. My audience generally being those folks who live and visit the southwest. It can be a bit of a struggle sometimes to strike a balance between what I think will sell and what I want to paint. I don't want to paint the same red rock landscape scene over and over. I like fun, colorful, bold, whimsical, mystical, and illustrative. I'll start there and then try to throw in some desert.
About the Artist
Shari's artistic journey began at the University of Utah in the 1990’s when she took her first ceramics class. Encouraged by friends and family she continued her art education at Chapman University in Orange, California where she received a BFA in Studio Art. In an effort to combine her passion for art with her academic interest in social science, she completed her Ph.D. in Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine in 2004. She studied the role of security measures in public space on perception of risk and fear of terrorist attack – it’s a long story!
As with any worthwhile life journey, Shari's path to art has been far from straight. With the exception of two years selling her ceramic sculptures at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, California and a brief stint as a docent for Orange County’s temporary collection of Mark di Suvero sculptures, art took a back seat and she taught social science courses at Penn State University and subsequently transitioned to government service, where she had the opportunity to live overseas and spend ten years working with NATO and exploring Europe.
Today, Shari divides her time equally between Moab, Utah and Los Alamos, New Mexico where she is finally able to pursue art sort of full-time
My original works are displayed at Tumbleweed at 31 North Main Street, Moab, Utah, Gallery Moab Fine Art, at 87 North Main Street, Moab Utah, Gallery 24 in Torrey, Utah and the Kiva Koffehouse in Escalante, Utah.
www.michaudart.com