“We will walk…without thinking of arriving anywhere.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh, poet and activist
As though made up of something cosmic, each of Sharon Barr’s paintings seems to have a kind of gravitational pull. Paint strokes are energized as they travel over the composition: some are quick bursts, while others build slowly to a rich intensity of colour and form, orbiting a center in a mesmerizing dance, harmonious yet wandering. And while Barr’s paintings are abstract by definition, they also draw on our recognition of familiar scenes: a poem, a rhythmical musical score, some familiar natural forms, all at once on a single canvas. It is this ability of paint to activate recognition in the viewer that underpins Barr’s understanding of her work as existing both within and beyond the landscape genre. But the “places” that inspire her dissolve quickly into “spaces” for the eye to wander; each work begins not with an objective, but with an attitude of nomadic exploration. This attitude connects Barr’s practice to so much more than paint: Eastern philosophy, poetry, and meditation are essential to the artist’s approach, with each emphasizing the belief that physical forms and abstract thought are not opposites, but sisters. Painting, in turn, is a unifying gesture for Barr, one that attempts to reconcile—if only for a moment—the flurry of elements around us, from the organic to the spiritual. “These paintings are self-portraits…reflective of our own image,” says Barr, who believes that “…the bonds between animal and plant are vital, but the connection is deeper than sustenance. The earth is our body; its water, our fluids. Each painting is a silent visual poem to nature.”
by E. Saunders
About the artist
Sharon Barr is a Toronto based painter who attended York University, University of Toronto, and the Toronto School of Art. Her studies focused on Visual Arts, Art History and English Literature. She also received her Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto. Since then, Sharon has worked as a full time artist and an art instructor. Sharon’s paintings have been exhibited across Canada and collected internationally, with notable collectors including The City of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the Ministry of Ontario. Her work has appeared in publications such as Canadian Living, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Blank Spaces, and Style at Home. Sharon lives and works from her studio in Toronto.
Although her paintings are primarily abstract in nature, Sharon writes, “These paintings are self portraits; maybe not as most would instantly recognize as such, but for me, these organic layers and forms are the fabric of my memories and experiences. Like veils of light, each tapestry layer reveals another story through mark making and paint.”
Through each painting, the viewer is encouraged to explore their own connection to life, their own personal stories and the sacred natural world.
Artist C.V.
-
Butter Gallery – Collingwood
Canvas Gallery – Toronto
In 2 Art Consulting – Oakville
Westland Gallery – London ON
-
Westland Gallery - Person Place or Thing - Westland Gallery - Summer 2023
Butter Gallery – Spring Show March 2022
Ian Tan Gallery – Dialogue in Light (Sharon Barr/Julie Himel) Nov 2021
Westland Gallery – Abstraction – May 2020
Shane Norrie Contemporary- Verve – October 2019
Shane Norrie Contemporary – RED- July 2018
The Gordon Harrison Gallery – A Spring Affair – Barr, Harrison, Ryan, Spring 2016
Westland Gallery – Solo show – Dreams of My Garden, Winter 2016
Twist Gallery – Parks and Recreation, Fall 2015
MJG Gallery – Inside Out – Sharon Barr, Carolyn Megill, Summer 2014
Arta Gallery – Landscapes, Spring 2014
Arta Gallery – Holiday Group Show – Distillery District, Winter 2013
Todmorden Mills Papermill Art Gallery – Water – Group Show, Fall 2012
Propeller Centre for the Arts – Group Show, Spring 2011
Twist Gallery – Under the Surface – Barr, Miller, Megill, Summer 2010
Gallery 888 – various group shows, 2008 – 2010
-
Sarah Richardson Designs “Collected ” Volume 1
Blank Spaces Magazine – March 2018 feature interview
Canadian Living – designer Peter Fallico features painting Blue Shadows
Reno and Decor – The House of Bryan – painting Winter’s Fading Path
Art Spin – artspin.com – online art app magazine – featured artist – Volume 1
The Marilyn Dennis Show – work on set courtesy of Canvas Gallery
Cityline, “Around the House” – features work Beautiful World
Sarah Richardson – set design for office – Season 4 – seven commissioned paintings
Interior Design Show – paintings featured at Design Inc. booth
Para Paints, Sarah Richardson’s New Paint Line – features Crab Tree in backdrop
Style at Home – paintings featured in various publications courtesy of Canvas Gallery
Hello Magazine – painting featured Sarah Richardson’s interview
Globe and Mail – Sarah Richardson’s column
Vancouver GH Lottery – two paintings in designer lottery home
Canadian Film Centre – Sundance Film Festival, California, “In Shadow” – paintings on set
