Sharon Abbott-Furze is an oil painter living in Vancouver, Washington. Her work is expressionistic realism and sometimes heavily influenced with abstract shapes, inspired by people and their stories and the many moods of nature, particularly the sea.
Her passion for art started at a very early age - she used her Father’s linoleum knife to draw figures on the roof of their home when she was 6 years old - not well-received but didn’t stop her from continuing towards her dream. She loved to draw but only started painting with oils for a short time in the early 1990’s. Although she didn’t paint on a canvas again until 2013, during those years, she was consumed with her love of art, continually painted in her head, visited art shows and museums and studied people and nature. She started painting seriously in 2013 when she joined Primary Elements Gallery in Cannon Beach OR, has regularly participated in Cannon Beach art events and has been featured in their local newspaper. Since the closing of that gallery, she has been represented by Cannon Beach Gallery and RJ Gallery in McMinnville, OR.
Sharon’s award-award-winning paintings are in collections throughout the United States, Switzerland, Canada and Italy. Several of her figurative paintings were used in the Portland OR Street of Dreams. “The Price of Freedom” was published in the 2015 Art Edition of Rain.
Sharon has studied with several well-known artists and continues to study to improve her art and learn new ways to express her stories on canvas. She occasionally gives workshops in Vancouver and Cannon Beach.
Representation:
RJ Gallery, McMinnville, OR
Cannon Beach Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR
Associations:
Alla Prima, Portland OR
American Impressionist Society
Oregon Society of Artists
Studies:
Byron Pickering
Colley Whisson
Za Vue
Michael Carson
Kim English
Peggy Kroll Robers
Jennifer Diehl
Susan Diehl
Scottsdale Artist School
Shows - Juried and Exhibition
You’ve Got To Have Art Juried - Vancouver WA Dec 2018
42nd St Christmas Show - Juried - Portland OR, Dec 2018
Washington County Plein Air - Sequoia Gallery Hillsboro OR, Oct-Nov 2018
Umpqua Valley Art Assn Plein Air - Roseburg OR - Sept-Oct 2018
Oregon Society of Artists - Juried - Portland OR - Oct 2018
Camas Plein Air - Camas Gallery - Camas WA - Sept 2018 - Awards - 1st and 2nd People’s Choice
Third on Third Show - RJ Gallery, McMinnville OR - Sept-Dec 2018
Lavender Festival Plein Air - Chehalem Cultural Ctr, Newburg OR - July 2018
Beautiful Lives Lost Portrait Show - Las Vegas NV - July 2018
Beautiful Lives Lost Portrait Show - Portland Art Institute, Portland OR July 2018
Cannon Beach Plein Air and More, Cannon Beach OR - June 2018
RJ Gallery Show - McMinnille OR - May-Aug 2018
Battle Ground Art Alliance Spring Show - Juried - March 2018
42nd Street Station Christmas Show - Juried - Dec 2017
Umpqua Valley Art Assn Plein Air - Roseburg OR - Nov 2017 - Award - Traveling Art Show
Battle Ground Art Alliance Fall Show - Juried - Oct 2017
Washington County Plein Air - Sequoia Gallery, Hillsboro, OR - Sept 2017
Lavender Festival Plein Air - Chehalem Cultural Ctr, Newburg, OR July
Stormy Weather Art Fest - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - Nov 2017
Plein Air and More - Primary Elements Gallery, Cannon Beach OR - June 2017
Spring Unveiling - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - Mar 2017
Stormy Weather Art Fest - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - Nov 2016
Plein Air and More - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - June 2016
Spring Unveiling - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - Mar 2016
Plein Air and More - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - June 2015
Spring Unveiling - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - Mar 2015
Stormy Weather Art Fest - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - Nov 2014
Spirit Show - Juried - Gallery 360 - Vancouver WA - July 2014
Plein Air and More - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - July 2014
Alla Prima - Invitational/Juried - Art Factors, Portland OR - June 2014
Spring Unveiling - Primary Elements Gallery - Cannon Beach OR - June 2014
Art and Soul Gallery - Show - Ashland OR - March 2014
Plein Air And More - Cannon Beach OR - Coaster Theater - June 2013
Lake Oswego Fest of the Arts - Lake Oswego, OR - June 2013
6th St Gallery Senior Show - Juried - Vancouver WA - Apr 2013
Spring Unveiling - Primary Elements, Cannon Beach OR - Mar 2013
Statement
"I paint because I have to ... it's right up there with food and water for me - a prayer, a meditation, and always an adventure. Light and shadow, the way it plays over my subject matter, fascinates me. A well-designed composition, the emotion of rhythm and colors, are musical and poetic and compel me to paint - people and their stories, the way I feel and experience the rhythm, continuity and energy of nature! Practicing my art is one of my greatest joys, painting moments in time that touch me so deeply that I just have to capture it and hopefully pass that pleasure on to you when you view my art.”