Born on May 5th, 1980 in Houston, Texas, Sharon Dowell knew she would be a painter from the age of three.

Moving to New York for a year in her early 20’s dramatically changed her life. She soaked up the intensity, the ever changing perspectives of urban life, and the melting pot of cultures found in the city, which began to inform her work. Inspired by her travels, she attempts to capture the energy of the environments she visits through her architectural imagery, layers, and texture. She strives to find beauty in often overlooked structures and spaces.

Receiving an arts grant to travel to Iceland to capture the unusual and pristine landscapes of Iceland in the summer of 2009 made another dramatic impression on her, seemingly opposite of what drove her urban explorations. She witnessed peace, beauty, and discovered a deep love of nature. Her recent work is a melding of these two worlds, focusing on the relationship of man to nature and how technology and progress are shifting our environment.

Sharon received her BFA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and has work in major collections such as the Ritz Carlton Luxury Hotel, Duke Energy, Renaissance Hotel, Fidelity Investments, and The Federal Reserve Bank. She is active in her arts community, painting a public mural and serving as a grant panelist for the Arts and Science Council. In July of 2010, she will return to Iceland for a month long art residency in Skagastrond. Sharon is a Gallery Director, independently curates, and guest juries. She exhibits nationally, most recently at Christies with Kipton Art and a solo show at Duke University's Louise Brown Gallery. Sharon now resides in Charlotte, NC.