This month’s artist community feature is Sharon J. McDaniel, an acrylic painter and rawhide drum & rattle crafter for over twenty years. Sharon’s work is characterized by motifs of nature and animals, cheerful colors, and positive vibes. Sharon’s unique blend of visual art and craftsmanship invite viewers into a joyful and reflective experience. Come along to discover the vibrant stories she brings to life through acrylic and rawhide drum painting!
Artist Community Feature:
The Art of Sharon J. McDaniel
This month’s featured artist is Sharon J. McDaniel from ARTwithVISION. Sharon is an acrylic painter and also crafts her own rawhide drums and rattles. Apart from creating art, Sharon also runs her own art school, the Casa Creativa, in Florence, Arizona.
Sharon has been making art since she was a child. Over the past 20+ years, her work has evolved to be of a more expressionistic and visionary style.
She paints to encourage positive, introspective, and emotional experiences within herself and others. Her paintings connect with a deeper place of self-reflection and express a new introspective awareness from deep within.
Her love of drawing and color began very early. At around 10 years old, her father gave her a generous supply of “real” art materials, including a French folding easel. This gift encouraged her to pursue her artistic talent and made her father her creative hero.
In high school, she became more serious about her art, following her artistic calling because it brought her joy. Today, her greatest motivation is to spark positive emotions and inspire good things to come.
Come along and explore Sharon’s beautiful work and the vision she shares through her art!
- Do you want to get featured?
Our Monthly Artist Feature is available for all community members. Sign up to become part of the community and fill out this Google Form—and maybe you'll soon be the next featured artist of the month!
“Flow” is one of Sharon’s acrylic paintings on masonite board, inspired by the designs that flow on rocks and marble.
“I Am You” is an acrylic painting inspired by the following verse from “The Givers”:
Witness to countless beings of light, They guide us in our cosmic search. (we've somehow lost each other). The beloved beings, envisioned here, lead us home to oneness. (joyful as they splash away illusion). Notice this, a splendid locomotion, with watery expression,
woman swirls and dances with her feminine emotion;
while earthy man, of fragrant sandal wood,
stands clear and proud as he intensely watches.
While in body, be our link to earth and sky, man and woman,
to the place where there is no you, nor I.
“Jubilance, the Awakening” is a commissioned wall piece, hung from a found walking stick and adorned with beads and painted leather feathers.
A few years ago, Sharon learned to craft her own rawhide drums and rattles. Since then, one of her favorite themes is painting wildlife motifs on the drum surfaces and adorn them with feathers, beads, gemstones, and ribbons.
“Keeper of the Wolves” is a piece Sharon created on a Tarahumara primitive drum, decorated with beads and hand-painted leather feathers.
For her rawhide drum paintings, Sharon starts by collecting inspiration and then selects the most compelling concepts. From there, she creates a sketch on the drum surface and gradually builds up layers of paint until the piece is finished with precise, intricate details.
Where to find Sharon:
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- Do you want to get featured?
Our Monthly Artist Feature is available for all community members. Sign up to become part of the community and fill out this Google Form—and maybe you'll soon be the next featured artist of the month!
