about the artist

Queensland abstract artist Sharon Stone spent her childhood in tropical Cairns where she acquired not only a love for the sea, but also the maverick ingenuity that today infuses her art.

Poetry and literature inspire much of Sharon's work, but not always directly. She paints according to her moods, always pushing the envelope and asking "what if?" Often she plays with computerised images, distorting them until she sees something unusual. From there she develops a tangible, textured version on canvas which may involve layering materials like rice paper, beeswax, watercolour, acrylic and gold leaf, before finishing with resin to simulate the luminosity of water.

Paintings by Sharon Stone are always vivid: mostly blues and reds representing the antitheses of her emotions. She uses shades of blue and turquoise to calm and soothe, and red to inflame. Some of her paintings are colourful diversions from reality; others have greater significance. For instance, while her striking "Sins of Will" series was inspired by classical literature and her recent "Connections" by sacred geometry, others evolve from computerised exercises in colour and form, such as a stream meandering through countryside.

As an antidote to her dramatic red works, Sharon's blue paintings are often tranquil and otherworldly, like floating soundlessly beneath the sea. Perpetually exploring new concepts and developing the innovative techniques that distinguish her work, she enjoys the freedom abstract art offers both artist and audience. The enigmatic nature of her paintings means she feels neither bound to explain them nor cares how they're interpreted. Individual conjecture, she believes, only serves to make her work more interesting.

Sharon Stone's first solo exhibition in December 2003 resulted in the sale of 40 paintings in less than two months and she has been painting prolifically ever since to keep up with demand. She has been a featured artist in a number of Queensland and national exhibitions, and her vibrant abstracts are on display in up-market galleries and contemporary homes throughout Australia.

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