ArtistsNetwork.com 51SHARON PITTS PAINTS THE NATURAL WORLD
IN A STYLE THAT MAKES THE MOST OF THE
VARIETY OF COLOR AND SHAPE IN NATURE.By Amy Leibrock
S
haron Pitts’ fi rst memorable art experience occurred in third
grade. When her teacher asked the class to draw a spring
picture, the image of a butterfl y popped into Pitts’ head, so
she took out her paper and crayons and went to work. A color-
ful, intricate drawing soon fi lled the entire page. “My teacher
looked at it with her eyeballs widened, and all the kids sitting
near me stared at it,” she says. “I remember how special that
made me feel, and that feeling never went away. I still get that
feeling when I’m working.”
Today, Pitts paints the natural world—trees, fl owers, nests, leaves—in a style
that’s representational but with abstract qualities. Vivid color draws the viewer
into tangles of branches, petals and leaves that burst off saturated backgrounds.
And although the artist has remained true to nature themes, it’s primarily
the process of art-making rather than the subject matter itself that has sustained
her throughout her career. She approaches each painting as an experiment and
rarely has a clear idea of how she wants each to look when it’s completed. “I’ve
learned to value the unexpected in the process,“ says Pitts, who teaches water-
color technique classes at the Montclair Art Museum, in New Jersey, and in
travel workshops around the world. “I often tell my students that watercolor
is for the adventurous. Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone.”
To Pitts, watercolor is like a partner who pushes her to discover new things.
“I watch how watercolor fl ows, how it merges, how it dries,” she says. “What
might have been considered mistakes become opportunities to try something
unplanned. In many ways, creativity comes from moving to Plan B.”Gustav’s Forest
(watercolor on
paper, 11x11)