Meet Juror, Sharon Eisley

Aug 5

1 min read

Updated: Aug 10

Artist Bio

Sharon Eisley is a contemporary Surrealist painter and Director of Sebastopol Gallery. Her work often incorporates animals, humans, and other aspects of nature. There is often a solemn playfulness embedded in her symbolism. She does not shy away from hard topics or rough emotion in her work.

Eisley studied Chinese brush painting in Taiwan and later graduated with a BFA from California College of Art (CCA). She illustrated books at Pyramid Press, and worked as an illustrator for 15 years. She also has a robust studio practice, developing multiple cohesive series of work over her career. She is currently in the midst of building a series that will consist of over 80 paintings. These pieces incorporate different techniques, including painting, staining, block-printing-style carving, and message-driven creative framing.

Artist Statement

My work captures a timelessness and emotion in our human and animal nature. Traditionally, many cultures painted zoomorphic images to represent spirituality, aspects of God, and/or timeless forces. These chimeras capture the awe of the viewer with their strangeness. In the same way, my landscapes and figurative works act as symbolic reflections of that journey.

My paintings tap into the 'Mystic' as modern-day totems that reside in everyday existence. We are individual, spiritual people living odd and humorous and challenging and normal everyday lives. I paint the in-between of that, the transformation, and the moments where paradigms break.

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