Who IS Sharla
Sharla R. Hicks is an expressive artist
Certified Zentangle Teacher, and author of Tangle-Inspired Botanicals.
A lifetime of observation and study of the natural world, a passion for color, combined with the study of photography, surface design, hand and free-hand machine embroidery, art quilts and textiles, watercolor, acrylics, and painting, collage and assemblage has informed her works that is a fusion of the organic botanicals, geometric, and design with expressive color, line, form, repetitive patterning, and mixed media.
Sharla has always shared her passions with others. Certified Zentangle Teacher Training introduced her to repetitive patterning and re-ignited her desire to teach and do art as a daily practice after running a mailorder company for 20 years. Sharla's Wokshops and Tangle-Inspired Botanical Retreats teach how to take Zentangle patterns, strings, and strokes and individualize through variation, color, visual vocabulary, and design that reflects each artist personal aesthetics. Her Moving Forward In Expressive Art and Repetitive Patterning Workshop uses the Intuitive Alchemy of visual vocabulary and intuition to develop an artistic voice that melds Tangle-Inspired Botanicals, mixed media, color, design with expressive mark marking and tangle inspiration.
Sharla's formal education in art did not come until her mid-thirties leaving her with a keen awareness of the struggles the new to art and the more experienced artist have as they move forward in their artistic journey but are not quite sure how.
Sharla mentors her students by offering the structure of the visual vocabulary and creative thinking in small, intimate classroom settings of 8 to 12 students. Reduced class size allows ample time for hands-on interaction between student and teacher as they explore and refine their unique, personal style of mark-making. Instruction includes developing mixed media backgrounds that inspire and guides intuitive design, color, and repetitive patterning choices.
Chrysanthemums by Sharla R. Hicks, CZT
Petals are drawn using he hook shaped stroke of Mooka
and the over and under concepts taught in Verdigogh and Hollibaugh.
Her students are encouraged to explore the role of value, shade, shadow, and line enhancers to develop unique art pieces. She simplifies color down to the essential need to know principles for a strong visual statement using mixed media fusion of color pens and markers, color pencils, pastels, and various types of paints and alcohol inks. Mixed media backgrounds become an integral tool for her students to learn how to apply intuitive logic and creative thinking to serendipity design when developing an art piece.
Sharla uses simultaneous contrast to bring definition to her work.
2012 Sharla melded the Monoprint background with Tangle-Inspired Botanicals.
This consummate work established her unique, recognizable artist style.
Sharla continues to push the boundaries of the monoprint background fused with botanical inspiration, design, color, geometric forms, and mixed media enhancements.
She explores color and value to bring excitement and drama.
Repetitive Pattern inspired by tangles and strokes
learned through Zentangle are core to her work.
Sharla has been a life long entrepreneur taking her current art passion and turnng it into a series of accidental businesses that ranged from freelance teaching to owner of an online mail-order company. Zentangle was the catalyst that lead to teaching small intimate retreats with 8-10 enthusiastic artists ready to move forward using tangling as a starting point to find their artistic voice.
Marlene Gibbs, the KGEM TV host of 'What Do You Do?' interview unfolds Sharla's artistic journey. The full interview is 56 minutes, the first 30 minutes covers her early formative years as an artist and entrepreneur growing accidental businesses that centered around freehand embroidery, art quilting, painting and Tangle-Inspired Botanicals. The following segment starts at 24 minute and expands on how becoming a Certified Zentangle Teacher reignited her passion for art, teaching, and lead to writing the book, Tangle-Inspired Botantcals. Her passion is helping others how to use visual vocabulary and Intuitive Alchemy to find their unique artistic voice in expressive art making.