Rich textures and earth tones prevail in Sharon Dawson’s abstract paintings on paper and canvas. She applies layer upon layer of oil paint, then carves, rubs, and scrapes away to excavate a deep, dark depth of form. Dawson explains, “Recurrent darkness in my work represents the deep within the earth, beneath the sea or inside of the body where life force exists. Not a frightening darkness, but a fundamental piece of the whole, where creativity is born.” Her complex, layered paintings evoke a calming sensation and invite the viewer into a contemplative state, a place of imagination and possibility—a place Within. Blessed Born investigates this Seventh Direction, where earth energy below and spiritual energy above coexist. While the four directions of the compass bring an understanding of place in the physical world, Above, Below, and Within help one to navigate the spiritual self and journey between internal and external landscapes.

Sharon Dawson lives and works in Duluth Minnesota, along the shore of Lake Superior. She earned her BFA from UMD before studying Buddhist meditation in Nova Scotia and art therapy and feminist perspectives at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. Dawson exhibits throughout the Midwest and facilitates Yoga and Ayruveda in the Himalayan Tradition.

Image Credit: Sharon Dawson, "Flight of the Thread Keeper"