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A Thing Is Complete When You Can Let It Be

Writer's picture: sharonkingstonsharonkingston

Determining when to stop and call a painting complete is not as easy as it seems. To me, a bit of incompleteness allows a glimpse into the painter’s process. Overworking is the kiss of death, particularly with my type of painting where the subtle shifts in color can easily and quickly be lost to too much paint. Also, most of my paintings are suggestive and evocative of landscape, meaning I purposely try to minimize detail and leave things unarticulated. Knowing when a painting is finished is when I can just let it be and when I sense that my intent is visually and emotionally spoken. Unfortunately, my camera is not able to capture the layers of glazing and subtle shifts of color so you don’t see what I do in the studio. There are earthy reds, cobalt violets, greens, pinks and my signature asphaltum (yes, a great tar color!). There is just the suggestion of landscape growth on the horizon. The foreground has some fabulous textural affects. It speaks to me of the Vast Unsayable. I’ll post the professionally taken photographs of this and two other ‘completed’ paintings soon.

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    studio/gallery

    open  Thurs - Sat 4 - 7 pm
    and by appointment

    please call / text

    360-739-2474 or

    email sharonkingston@me.com

    ALL SALES FINAL.

    NO REFUNDS or EXCHANGES ON ORIGINAL PAINTINGS  and FRAMES.

      SHARON KINGSTON STUDIO

      203 PROSPECT ST

      Bellingham WA  98225

      my studio gallery is now  OPEN
      Thurs - Sat 4 to 7 pm
      First Fridays 4 - 9 pm
      and by appointment

      please send me a text with the
      day and time you'd like to come by.
      360-739-2474

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      Sharon Kingston is a Bellingham WA (Washington) based artist.  As an oil painter she uses the properties of her medium to create paintings that respond to both the atmosphere of her surroundings and poetry. This method of looking inward and outward and, in the moments of painting, finding her way on the canvas is her approach to creating paintings infused with poetry and the memory of landscape. The atmospheric element of her work is a testament to her desire to create spaces that are undefined, contemplative and allow room to reflect and accept uncertainty. Poetry, by nature open ended, is used both in the conceptualization of the work and as a part of the studio practice. The words of Rainer Rilke have informed Sharon’s work for many years, but she also turns to contemporary poetry when it resonates with her life. She uses layers of transparent color, reveals forms by concealing and unearthing pentimenti and suggests elements of landscape in her process.

      People describe her paintings as ethereal, atmospheric, contemplative, PNW inspired, and filled with light and mood.  She has a storefront art studio in downtown Bellingham and welcomes you view her paintings in person.

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