30sec film artists Vol.34 – Sharon Barr

“To me, these are visual poems”

Sharon Barr is a Toronto based painter who attended York University, the University of Toronto and the Toronto School of Art. Her studies have focused on Visual Arts, Art History and English Literature. She also received her Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto in 1986. Since then, Sharon has worked as an art instructor and now a full time painter. Paintings and completed work are in collections across North America and in Europe. Sharon’s paintings have been featured on Design Inc. and Sarah Richardson owns Sharon’s work in her private collection. The season four set for Richardson’s series, Design 101 has many of Sharon’s pieces as a backdrop. Work has also been used in set design for the Canadian Film Centre Productions, and featured in films such as, In Shadow, which was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in California. The City of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Ministry of Ontario have many of Sharon’s paintings in their facilities and collections.
sharonbarr.ca

Sharon Barr – 30sec film artists Q&A

What’s your favorite thing to do when you are alone?

Boring stuff like stare at a painting in progress! But I also practice meditation and yoga daily.

Do you collect things?

I collect left over blobs of paint. Periodically I put them together in a collage on paper. Those paint blobs take me to another creative plane.

What's the last great book you read?

I love poetry and I think it is connected deeply to my work but the last book I read was not poetry. However, I feel it was about poetry because it was called The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause. It is a remarkable book documenting the vast and wonderous musical poetry of animals on our planet.

What super power do you want to have?

Well it's taken me al long time to be able to answer that. But I know who I am and and that gives me freedom to create without judgement.

What do you fear the most?

Easy question, of course I fear that blank white canvas! So I overcome that fear by making a mark and begin!

Do you have a motto or creed that as an artist you live by?

My artist motto or mantra is to first acknowledge the source of my creativity and to let it silently move through me without judgement.

How do you come up with ideas?

I keep a sketchbook but it is mostly the brush, the canvas, the experience that gives me inspiration and ideas. As Chuck Close said, inspiration is for amateurs, just get to work

Behind the Scenes – Filmmaker’s Experience

I believe an artist’s artwork can show a lot about his/her character. Sharon Barr is one of the artists who brings joy, poetic colorful dreams into her works. Like her character, fun and playful.
>>Read more on Patreon

Artist’s bookshelf

The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places
The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places