Sharon von Ibsch - Artist Information

I didn’t really take an interest in art until I was at college at the University of California, San Diego. I took some drawing classes at first just to fulfill some requirements. And even though I had always been quite proficient at drawing, it didn’t hold my attention.

In my senior year, I decided to go ahead and minor in Studio Art since I had already taken so many drawing classes. I took an introductory painting class, and I was hooked from the first painting. Crazily enough the first thing I noticed that I liked about it was that if you messed up, you could just paint over it! But with time, the more I painted, the more I realized how much I loved it. All the worries and concerns I had about life, my future after college, anything would melt away while I painted. It became a very meditative process for me, and still is to this day.

After graduating from UCSD with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Neuroscience and a minor in Studio Art, I moved up to Berkeley, and started painting in my free time. I soon ran out of wall space in my own apartment, and started giving paintings to friends and family as gifts, or pretty much for any occasion I could find. The more paintings I gave away, the more people I had requesting me to paint something for them. I think it was then that I realized that I might be able to make a career of doing what I loved someday.

Three years ago I quit the job I had been at for 4 years, and decided to set out on my own in the art world. My husband and I moved down to Santa Cruz a few months after that, and I have been enjoying living in Santa Cruz and getting acquainted with the art scene immensely.

Even though painting has become my career, it is still what I love to do. I find that if more than a week goes by in which I don’t paint, I tend to feel like something in my life is off. Painting keeps me balanced and allows me to the time to reflect outwardly all that I feel inwardly. I feel that also is reflective of the subject matter I choose to paint. With flowers I tend to paint a very close up view of them at different angles than are not normally seen. So much of the time we don’t get to see such things of beauty so up close, and off kilter. I like exposing the mechanics of the flower as well. Such as, how it is attached to the stem, the veins in the petals, and how sunlight, shadow and the other petals will change the color and the way another flower petal looks. In my landscapes, I like big sweeping vistas, and especially views of the ocean or other waterways. I think I am attracted to scenes like that because the expanse of the world never fails to humble me, and the sheer beauty and the power of the ocean is so immense.

Thank you for taking the time to enjoy my work!

P.S. On December 20, 2007 Fritz and I welcomed our daughter Gretchen Elizabeth into the world. Despite being 6 weeks early she is a happy, healthy, and very determined baby. We love her very much and love watching her grow bigger and stronger every day!

On a houseboat in Kerala, India	About the Artist…….
	Sharon von Ibsch
	I like to say that I inherited the art gene from my mother. Her name was Connie Beth Kirstein. Growing up in Sacramento, her paintings filled our house when I was a child. Being an artist, she taught my sister and me some basics of art, such as perspective and the basics of the color wheel. She passed away when I was 13, and I cherish the memories of going to art classes with her, and accompanying her to do plein air pieces around the Sacramento area.
I didn’t really take an interest in art until I was at college at the University of California, San Diego. I took some drawing classes at first just to fulfill some requirements. And even though I had always been quite proficient at drawing, it didn’t hold my attention. In my senior year, I decided to go ahead and minor in Studio Art since I had already taken so many drawing classes. I took an introductory painting class, and I was hooked from the first painting. Crazily enough the first thing I noticed that I liked about it was that if you messed up, you could just paint over it! But with time, the more I painted, the more I realized how much I loved it. All the worries and concerns I had about life, my future after college, anything would melt away while I painted. It became a very meditative process for me, and still is to this day. After graduating from UCSD with a Bachelor’s Degree in Cognitive Science with a specialization in Neuroscience and a minor in Studio Art, I moved up to Berkeley, and started painting in my free time. I soon ran out of wall space in my own apartment, and started giving paintings to friends and family as gifts, or pretty much for any occasion I could find. The more paintings I gave away, the more people I had requesting me to paint something for them. I think it was then that I realized that I might be able to make a career of doing what I loved someday. Three years ago I quit the job I had been at for 4 years, and decided to set out on my own in the art world. My husband and I moved down to Santa Cruz a few months after that, and I have been enjoying living in Santa Cruz and getting acquainted with the art scene immensely. Even though painting has become my career, it is still what I love to do. I find that if more than a week goes by in which I don’t paint, I tend to feel like something in my life is off. Painting keeps me balanced and allows me to the time to reflect outwardly all that I feel inwardly. I feel that also is reflective of the subject matter I choose to paint. With flowers I tend to paint a very close up view of them at different angles than are not normally seen. So much of the time we don’t get to see such things of beauty so up close, and off kilter. I like exposing the mechanics of the flower as well. Such as, how it is attached to the stem, the veins in the petals, and how sunlight, shadow and the other petals will change the color and the way another flower petal looks. In my landscapes, I like big sweeping vistas, and especially views of the ocean or other waterways. I think I am attracted to scenes like that because the expanse of the world never fails to humble me, and the sheer beauty and the power of the ocean is so immense. Thank you for taking the time to enjoy my work! P.S. On December 20, 2007 Fritz and I welcomed our daughter Gretchen Elizabeth into the world. Despite being 6 weeks early she is a happy, healthy, and very determined baby. We love her very much and love watching her grow bigger and stronger every day!
Fritz and I on our wedding day