ARTIST: SHARON BLOOMFIELD HICKS
Art Histories are highly curated presentations of an artists’ life’s work provided for appreciators today, scholars of tomorrow, and generations to come.
Sharon Bloomfield Hicks is a Philadelphia based artist, aesthetically influenced by her Jamaican heritage. Her paintings and tapestries are distinguished by exotic color combinations, large shapes and active figure-ground relationships. Synthesizing craft materials with painterly intentions she creates fresh, uplifting work which reflects the harmony and well-being she desires to see in the world.
Hicks holds a BFA in painting from Tyler School of Art and an MS in occupational therapy from Philadelphia University. Early in her career, she completed an apprenticeship at the Fabric Workshop and exhibited her work in solo shows at Third Street Gallery. She served as Personal Secretary to Violette de Mazia at the Barnes Foundation, completed in-depth studies of the Barnes collection and went on to become the first Education Coordinator at the Violette de Mazia Trust.
An interest in ways of seeing in art and life led Sharon to work as a vision therapist and then immersion in the healing arts. Drawing connections between the healing arts and art, she taught Meditate and Create classes at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and other venues. Later, during her career as an occupational therapist, she came to understand her art practice as a therapeutic activity. She has used a "life as art" philosophy while maintaining an overarching purpose of teaching people to see. Her current work links art with vision and health.
A member at Da Vinci Art Alliance in Philadelphia, she recently exhibited her work in a solo show Concepts & Compositions: Exploring the Yin and Yang in Art, Health and Life. Works by Hicks have been included in shows at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Museum of the Hudson Highlands, Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and Nexus Foundation among other locations.
“Some paintings go through many transformations and the layers of paint reveal my process, the risks taken, struggles, choices.
Other paintings transpire with an effortless immediacy; I leave what’s emerging on the canvas, staying present to what’s there, the unexpected, the surprises.”
COLLECTION: YIN & YANG - TAPESTRIES
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Artist Statement
Working at the intersection of vision and healing, my creative process is guided by a passion for learning and a yearning for harmony. I combine vibrant colors and large interlocking shapes to create visual drama. Decorative to expressive, whimsical to powerful, the bold simplicity of my work may recall the Jamaican island vibe of my maternal homeland, while other times reflects an innate impulse to hone in on the essential. A handmade human quality and balanced composition are vital characteristics of my work.
When I paint, I begin with some marks on the canvas and intuitively respond to what I see as I work. Some paintings go through many transformations and the layers of paint reveal my process, the risks taken, struggles, choices. Other paintings transpire with an effortless immediacy; I leave what’s emerging on the canvas, staying present to what's there, the unexpected, the surprises. I like the surprises.
While painting is a spontaneous process, my fiber work is more methodical. It’s a different, slower process. I start with a sketch or digital drawing. Areas of color and texture are laid in with a tufting machine. Finishing touches and painterly effects are applied by hand. As I work, I am guided by my intuition and the evolving art piece, diverging from the original drawing, often times problem solving and completely changing course. Creativity requires letting go.
In life we learn to observe and accept, freeing us from our preconceptions. I approach art as an explorer venturing into the unknown with an open curiosity. The openness allows me to see something new. When a work is complete, every color and shape belong. There’s a new balance and harmony that’s refreshing and liberating. Art provides a means to expanding consciousness. The seeing and learning, the growth, the healing are what make art valuable.
COLLECTION: YIN & YANG - MIXED MEDIA AND 3D
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COLLECTION: YIN & YANG - PAINTINGS
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Collection: VIBRANT
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Artist Statement
The Vibrant paintings were born of a need to break away from the doom, anger and worry I experienced in 2020 due to political unrest, corruption, and the COVID pandemic. I approached the work as an intuitive spontaneous series, painting three at a time. What emerged from within was what I longed for - bright, uplifting, exotic, warm, whimsical, fun, essential simplicity – healing.
Collection: WOVEN
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PRESS
Concepts and Compositions by Sharon Bloomfield Hicks
A Solo Exhibition at Da Vinci Art Alliance
Highlights Include:
Bloomfield Hicks opens exhibition at Da Vinci AA
Written By Mark Zimmaro
© Sharon Bloomfield Hicks, Yin and Yang T8, 2022, Wool tapestry, 28 x 26 inches
Norristown Arts Building holds opening reception for Pagus Gallery
Written by Brendan Wills, Times Herald staff
Artist Sharon Bloomfield Hicks' studio during the opening reception of the Pagus Gallery at the Norristown Arts Building
© Photo by Brendan Wills Times Herald staff.
“There's a certain modesty in such works that gives them an invitingly relaxed and fortuitous air. Her best pieces are nuanced, alert and affecting in their translation of feeling about Jamaica, her mother's homeland, into patterns of subjective, pleasing colors."
- Victoria Donohoe
Temple Shalom
Written By Victoria Donohoe
© Sharon Bloomfield Hicks, Vibrant 1a, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 18 x 18 inches
© Sharon Bloomfield Hicks, Yin and Yang 5, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 inches
To acquire artwork from Sharon Bloomfield Hicks’ collection, email info@amiepotsicartadvisory.com.
Click here to download Sharon Bloomfield Hicks’s CV.
To learn more about the artist: www.sharonbloomfieldhicks.com.
Banner Image: © Sharon Bloomfield Hicks, Install detail of Yin and Yang at Da Vinci Art Alliance
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