Creatively Featured - Sharon Hinchliffe

Hi Everyone! June's Challenge is up and as always, please send me an email if you are interested in being featured here on our blog! Please join me in welcoming fellow artist Sharon Hinchliffe! You can find her at her blog Delartful and her Etsy Shop.

Tell us about blogging and how it's worked for you. I came across artists blogs a few years ago after learning a friend had started blogging. I realized it was possible for me to incorporate my passion for art into my daily routine through starting my own blog. It opened me up to other artists' worlds and gave me confidence and incentive to explore my own goal to be a practicing artist.

How did you discover your favorite art medium? My favourite medium had always been acrylic paint which I discovered back in highschool. I love painting with layers and acrylic paint dries quickly and allows you to add to it without waiting - because
I am not very patient! I also love working with ink and after a lot of trial and error found that a fine tipped roller ball pen is my favourite to draw with.


What inspires or influences you artistically? There are a lot of artists with varying styles I am inspired by who I learn about through exhibitions and magazines, and write about on my blog. I also have many favourite blogs of artists and designers I read regularly. I am inspired daily by nature, my children, my family, friends and my wonderful partner who are all very supportive of my work.


Which aspect of your art do you enjoy most? I spend the first part of my paintings putting down layers of colour without knowing what will 'appear'. I really enjoy seeing a painting begin to take shape and when it does I can become totally absorbed in it.

How do you see your future work and style developing? I see my future being more about painting as a lifestyle and not something I have to fit into my daily job. I want to keep developing patterns to include in my work and give my characters more life. I also have plans to create homewares using my designs, which I am working on now.


How do you manage your time? I work best creatively late in the day, so the mornings are dedicated to my “real” job which I am very fortunate to have been doing from home for many years. If I am not too busy I can then get into painting and drawing in the afternoons and at night - once my kids are taken care of!


Have you exhibited work or taught classes? I have only exhibited through college classes I have attended and I have submitted paintings into the occasional art show. I plan to hang my work in galleries by the end of this year and hopefully in the not too distant future hold my own exhibitions.

How do you go about the design process? I do this as I go, usually beginning with a basic form then working from that. I will paint in colours and work with the most dominant parts of the design until it begins to take shape.


Do you work to a design or theme or just go with the flow…or something else entirely? I definitely go with the flow. I feel as though the painting almost grows in its own with only a small amount of mental input from me!


Is/was there a significant turning point or defining moment in your style of work? Yes I found it came this past year - the more I drew. I would often sit and experiment with different patterns and styles until finally I was happy with what I was producing. But it took a lot of time and repetition to work it out.

Can you tell us a little about your methods and/or techniques? I begin with at least 5 – 10 paintings which I do on either wood, canvas or recycled materials. I will fill then with basic shapes and blocks of colour and collage, I do each one in layers and move quickly from one to the other so I am not overthinking each piece. When they start to take shape I will draw in some detail and work around that. With the final stages I am layering colours in watered down acrylic so the underpainting comes through, then finishing the detail with ink.

What have you done this past year? This year I have spent more time painting than before. I was thrilled to have one of my paintings chosen as a winning entry in a local art prize. From that I sold some of my work, begun to sell prints online,  and have been featured in a creative magazine. I have also made more time to network and try to get an online presence which I learnt since I began takes a bit of work. There have been some great people I have gotten to know along the way. I have also developed ideas for lamps, clocks, pendants and other products, which I am planning on launching later this year.


What are your artistic highlights? It is always a highlight when someone approaches me feeling positive after seeing my work. My main desire is to translate the inspiration and joy I feel when I am creating onto a piece of art, that people can then view and get something positive from it.


What artistic plans do you have for the coming year? I am working on getting products ready to sell in art markets, and have been getting a collection of original paintings to take to galleries. I hope that by the end of this year I will have both plans accomplished!