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Sharon Paster

@sharonpaster

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Semi-abstract oil paintings inspired by nature and the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Art studio in Sausalito, CA.
Originals and commissions

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Sharon Paster is sharing why she takes a much more relaxed approach to using oil pigment sticks than most artists.

Oil sticks naturally develop a thin skin over time, protecting the fresh paint inside. Many artists carefully trim that layer away with a knife before every use to keep the sticks looking clean and pristine.

Sharon doesn’t bother. Sometimes she’ll paint right through the skin, allowing those little bits to become part of the painting’s texture. If she likes the effect, they stay. If not, she’ll simply pick them out later with a palette knife.

When the stick gets too messy to tell what color it is, she’ll scribble onto a scrap surface to remove the skin, then immediately bring that fresh paint straight to the canvas.

That directness carries through her entire process. Rather than premixing piles of paint on a palette, Sharon prefers to keep each color separate, thinking only about relationships like warm and cool, light and dark. She chooses the color she needs in the moment and puts it directly onto the canvas, allowing the painting to evolve organically without overplanning.

Sharon’s semi-abstract paintings explore the constant exchange of energy that exists all around us. Through landscapes, figures, and atmospheric forms, she creates work where solid objects seem to dissolve into light and space, reminding us that everything is both grounded and in motion at the same time.

See more of her work and process @sharonpaster

🏷️ Oil Painting, Oil Pigment Sticks, Oil Stick Painting, Contemporary Painting, Painting Process, Artist Studio, Abstract Landscape, Semi Abstract Art, Color Theory, Oil Paint Techniques, Contemporary Artist, Bay Area Artist, Sausalito Artist, California Artist, Mark Making, Creative Process, Fine Art, Studio Practice, Expressive Painting, Contemporary Art by @sharonpaster

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3 months ago

This short clip highlights both my process and what I’m trying to say with my work. In a nutshell, I feel the exchange of energy is real and is all around us. Change is inevitable. Fixed elements contrast with fluid ones—areas become both solid and ethereal, grounded and dissolving at the same time. This is true of all my subjects, whether it’s a figure or a rock, a landscape or pure abstraction.

Thanks to @hthvidphoto for capturing in this brief, one-minute video what I’m thinking while I’m painting in the studio. Although I have incredible views to the bay from my windows, I’m almost always facing away and focused on the wall where I work.

#contemporaryart #studiovisit #womenpainters #bayareaartist #sausalito #rfpigmentsticks #colorinspiration #artcurators #paintingtoday #figurativeartwork #landscapepaintings #marinartists #marinopenstudios by @sharonpaster

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2 years ago

Save the date(s)! This is our biggest art event of the year, with over 100 fine artists @icb_art in Sausalito welcoming visitors from all over the world. It’s a fun way to take the pulse of Bay Area art and discover the stories behind the scene. Please come visit. I’m in Studio 300 on the Third Floor, 480 Gate 5 Rd, Sausalito.

# open studios, fall art event, save the date art opening, Marin county artists, interior design ideas, art curation, new artwork, contemporary artists in the Bay Area, ICB artists taken in ICB Artists Association by @sharonpaster

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3 days ago

This oil painting moved from Marin County to Manhattan, where it took on a surprising new dimension. Swipe to see the result.

Manhattan art installation, new curation, contemporary painting, born in the Bay Area, interior design ideas, poolside, icb_art, sausalito artists, creative pairing sculpture and painting taken in Chelsea, Manhattan by @sharonpaster

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8 days ago

Our very own Sharon Paster was featured in @pacificsunweekly talking about Artists at Work and what makes this event so incredible.

“This day is really special for all of us,” Paster says. “Visitors have the chance to understand why and how each artist approaches their work, which is what gives the finished pieces even more meaning.”

And that’s exactly what Artists at Work is all about - getting beyond the finished artwork and into the studios, processes, stories, and ideas behind it.

Come meet Sharon and 60+ other ICB artists this Saturday, September 26, from 11am-5pm. Watch artists work, ask questions, learn about their craft, and discover artwork directly from the people who made it.

Sharon will also be one of several artists having more formal live demos.

Read the full Pacific Sun article and RSVP at the link in our bio.

And see more of Sharon’s work and process @sharonpaster

🏷️ ICB ART, Artists At Work, Sharon Paster, Pacific Sun, Sausalito Artists, Sausalito Art, Bay Area Artists, Marin County Artists, Open Studios, Artist Studio Tour, Artist Process, Behind The Scenes Art, Contemporary Art, Fine Art, Art Collectors, Art In Sausalito, San Francisco Bay Area Art, Marin Art, Art Community taken in Sausalito, California by @sharonpaster

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24 days ago

Excited to be part of a juried group show honoring all forms of mark-making at The Gallery @beltiblibrary in Marin. The exhibit opens Thursday Sept 17 6-8p, with an art history talk and wine reception Oct 1, 6-7:30p.

A little background about what’s shown here: it’s a detail of a larger 39x39 created on oil paper. I was planning to produce a full-blown painting of rocks with this as a start, but these initial marks just seemed to say it all. The shapes are pushing and pulling each other, perfect as they are.

🏷️ art history, mark making, art show opening, Marin, things to do, learning opportunities in the Bay Area, Tiburon Belvedere, gallery exhibit contemporary art, drawing on arches oil paper with stabilo woodie pencil and acrylic medium taken in Tiburon, California by @sharonpaster

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a month ago

Inside my studio at ICB/ART in Sausalito: works in progress, experiments, wrong turns, breakthroughs, and art in the making. Come see it in person at Artists at Work, September 26, 11–5. 60+ artists will be showing: 480 Gate 5 Road, Sausalito. You’ll find me in Studio 300 on the third floor.

#ArtistsAtWork #ICBART #SausalitoArt #BayAreaArtists #ArtInProcess 60Artists funevent taken in ICB Artists Association by @sharonpaster

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a month ago

A single painting can positively impact a room, whether it matches the drapes or not. I think this one feels good in a lot of settings, but maybe you have a favorite?

Interior design ideas, color inspiration, contemporary abstract, r+f oil pigment sticks, Marin artist, Bay Area art, sausalito art studio by @sharonpaster

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a month ago

I’m not a printmaker but I love the feeling of ghost prints, random marks and a variety of tones. This 24x24 experiment was created using R&F oil pigment sticks, wet on semi-wet, with a very limited palette. I don’t know if I’ll be able to recreate this feeling in a larger format, but maybe it doesn’t even matter.

@rfpaints Figurative painting, limited palette, Marin, Sausalito, Bay Area figurative, color inspiration, art curator,
Mother and child, beach scene by @sharonpaster

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a month ago

My first still life in years! Of course I gravitated to these roundish shapes I could pose in conversation with one another. Swipe to see my setup and my palette. All the color mixing was done on the canvas and I didn’t pickup a single brush, so we’ll see how long it takes to dry. My inspiration was Richard Diebenkorn, whose still lifes are completely fresh to me. I’ll be posting more about this process soon, getting ready to invite visitors to my Sausalito studio for Artists at Work @icb_art Sept 26.
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Still life painting, contemporary still life, Diebenkorn, Marin art scene, open studios, sausalito, oil pigment sticks by @sharonpaster

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a month ago

One of the most common questions Sharon Paster gets about her oil sticks: how long do they take to dry?

The short answer is that they’re still oil paint, so the same basic rules apply. Drying time depends on how thickly they’re applied, the weather, and what surface you’re painting on.

And an important thing to note is that, because oil sticks are oil paint, you can use them alongside other oil painting mediums. Sharon uses things like Galkyd, Galkyd Lite, Liquin, Gamsol, wax medium, and RNF blending sticks, including a drier version to help speed things along.

In her experience, a thin layer can take about a day to dry, while thicker applications take longer. And when she wants to move things along, she’ll sometimes put her work in the sun to help speed up the drying process.

The surface makes a difference, too. Paper tends to deaden the way the oil stick moves and sits on the surface, similar to wood and panels, where they hold the paint more on top, making it take longer to dry. Canvas has a bit more give and breathability, allowing airflow that lets the paint mix and meld into the surface, and dry a bit faster.

So if you’ve ever wondered whether oil sticks are actually oil paint, now you know!

See more of Sharon’s work and process @sharonpaster

🏷️ Sharon Paster, Oil Sticks, Oil Stick Painting, Oil Painting, Oil Painting Techniques, Oil Painting Tips, Oil Paint Drying Time, Painting Materials, Painting Mediums, Galkyd, Liquin, Gamsol, Contemporary Painting, Semi Abstract Painting, Landscape Painting, Artist Studio, Painting Process, Sausalito Artist, Bay Area Artist, ICB ART by @sharonpaster

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2 months ago

New taken in ICB Artists Association by @sharonpaster

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2 months ago