Studio Visit with Sharon Dorsey

Studio Visit is a new series where we'll learn about the spaces in which an artist creates. Whether a fun space, a sacred space, messy space, or immaculate, it's always fun (and fascinating) to peek into where an artist settles in to make a work of art.

First in this series is Columbus based artist, Sharon Dorsey. Sharon's fabulously imaginative works seem to have old souls and a stories to tell. She is also one of four artists featured in Playing House.


Wall Eye Gallery: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Sharon Dorsey: Making art is a method of communicating the stuff inside me that is too odd to say out loud. Like maybe I am thinking, “That son-of-a-bitch stomped on my heart and left me an empty shell of a human!” Well, then I make a painting with a sad, sick-looking woman with children growing out of her stomach and her hands raised in supplication that explains exactly how I feel. I work in many mediums because I feel like there are many different ways I need to make a statement... and because I get bored really quickly. I'm usually inspired by spiritual ideas and also by the symbolism of an image. I love the idea of recycling as it pertains to people, in an “ashes to ashes” kind of way. Or in a redemption kind of way.

WEG: Tell us about your studio. Location? Favorite part? Time spent in it?

SD: I share a small office with my husband that's attached to our bedroom. I have a 3' long table to create, but next to it is the table with the evil computer that taunts me to look at it every 3 seconds. My favorite part of the space is that I share it with my husband!

WEG: Silence or music while you create?

SD: I love to listen to music while I create! I often have Mondays off, so if I'm at home while my husband is working (he works from home), we listen to "whale music" (new-age-y ambient music). Most other times it's 80's music up in there!

WEG: What tools do you use the most?

SD: I work with many different mediums, so I have an assortment of favorite tools. The three things I seem to reach for the most are the Xacto knife, the needle nose pliers, and the awl.

WEG: What is your ideal studio?

SD: I would have to change addresses to have the ideal studio. I would love to have a huge, enclosed porch-office overlooking the back yard (which happens to be mountains with lots of animals running/flying around outside) with an enormous sound system and a wall of shelving and drawers. And maybe a wet bar.


Thanks, Sharon! To see more of Sharon's work, you can visit her blog or you can see her work in person at the exhibition, Playing House.