We were lucky to catch up with Sharon Barr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sharon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have very early recollections of wanting to make something new and beautiful out of found objects. Making little sculptures and new environments out of discarded cartons and containers and working with clay and collage at school demonstrated very early I was attracted to the arts and clearly a visual learner.

I also received lots of positive reinforcement from my parents and teachers. We were a family that discussed art often and my mother was my first painting teacher, always encouraging me to go further with my paintings. I also remember a fantastic high school art teacher that gave us the freedom to create installations and large paintings.

Hesitant at the time to major in fine arts (I guess fear of being an impoverished painter) I majored in literature at York University but also took courses in the Fine Arts department. I was drawn into exploring painting to as a means to document my inner world and conflicts but also to search for meaning in the world around me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My passion is large paintings. I previously worked as an art instructor and always encouraged my students to work on large permanent installations and murals. In the mean time, I was continuing my own artistic journey. I began working on increasingly larger canvasses and with the figure as the focus. During this period, I completed many series, for example swimmers, people living in the streets of Toronto and disenfranchised youth. For me, these are some of my most important pieces as I tried to give a voice to people who needed it most. Many of these paintings still hang in youth services agencies in downtown Toronto.

I think the thing that really draws me to painting now is the searching through brush and paint. My work has evolved into primarily abstract compositions but there is always hints of organic forms and structures. I deeply wish to create a meditative new space for the viewer to rest in and reflect on their own inner journey and their connectedness to our environment.

These painting explorations are visual stories or poems using marks and colour instead of words. Thus they can be a catalyst for change and healing.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

This is my creative journey and no one else’s. It took me a while to realize the true value of my own marks. No one else on the planet is having the experience I am at this moment, therefore I can offer a very unique and valuable voice. That applies to everyone.

I used to obsessively look at other artists’ work and try to find inspiration through their marks, colour and composition. That approach can really limit artistic growth and voice. We are most effective as artists when we find our truth through our own hard work. I don’t wait for an epiphany. I show up and work, journals, collage, writing, reading, and pure chaos in my studio are my inspiration for next steps on canvas. I am not a tidy or careful painter. Sometimes it comes together as succces which I guess is often measured in a beautiful finished painting but the process of risk taking and exploration is the real measure of success for me. There is no magic formula, instead how I begin is always evolving. Then the canvas and marks dictate the process.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society’s health is measured by its support of the arts. When you see decay and corruption and crime it’s time to evaluate support for the arts in communities that need it most. All people are creators and visionaries. We just need to supply the mineral rich earth for these passions to grow.

My concern for schools and community centres that cut art programs keeps me up at night. Children use the arts as their first vehicle to be heard and if they are not given early opportunities in the arts, they will find other less positive ways to be seen.

Also we must create and value community networks for artists. Studio space should be visible in our communities, visited by young and old regularly. The arts are the cultural glue for a healthy society and community. With a fertile cultural creative foundation, ideas that fuel a better world are born through young artists. We have a moral responsibility to help nurture their opportunities and visions. In short, I think the arts have the potential to enrich everyone’s lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sharonbarr.ca
• Instagram: @sharonbarrpaintings