ARTIST STATEMENT
“Art is entwined in my being. It always has been. ”
BIO
Sharon Pierce McCullough, a multi-disciplinary artist and sculptor, was born in Granite City, Illinois in 1943. She currently resides in the Cashtown area of Pennsylvania. Her use of vivid colors has always been one of the most striking aspects of her work, with geometrics being the most repetitive theme. Her paintings reflect meaning relative to self, relationships and choices one makes in life. Her sculptures, reflective of her love of simplicity, make use of ordinary and recycled materials to create unique, organic pieces of art. An underlying thread of “fun” has always permeated her works.
McCullough’s current body of work includes large canvas paintings and life-size sculptures. Some of her sculptures combine the use of thick glass, metal, mosaics and cement to cover large armatures constructed from steel and rebar. Her definitive style continues in her sculptures with the use of bold colors of glass combined with the ordinary look of cement. There is a spontaneity to her work as she explores the relationship of positive and negative space, color and form. Her original artwork has been collected and displayed in private homes, businesses, children’s hospitals and public buildings across the country.
McCullough attributes her love of whimsy and lightheartedness to the years she spent raising her five children. She developed a style during her early years as an artist that is naive, yet childlike, working primarily with colored pencils. Her use of vivid colors is one of the most striking aspects of her work. This early work, which is very recognizable, appeals to both adults and children. Many of her early works were published by the New York Graphic Society, with several images still in print. She is an author/illustrator of many Children’s Picture Books.
Awards:
2020 – Juror’s Award, On Thin Ice, Carlisle Arts Center, Carlisle PA
2018 – Juror’s Award, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Art Center, Solomons MD
2017 – Sculpture Award, MD Federation of Art, Annapolis MD
2016 – Sculpture Design Award, Caldwell Arts Council, Lenoir NC
2016 – Judges Merit Award, Sculpture Celebration 2016, Lenoir NC
2015 – First Place for Sculpture, Art of the State, State Museum of Pennsylvania
Exhibitions:
Solo
- 2019, Works & Working, Carlisle Arts Center, Carlisle PA (June 14)
- 2018 – Pieced Together, Caldwell Arts Center, Lenoir NC
- 2014 – Color Me Happy, Adams County Arts Center, Gettysburg, PA
- 2012 – Color, Color Everywhere, Gallery 30, Gettysburg, PA
- 2008 – Blue Parrot, Gettysburg, PA
Group
- 2020, Creating Joy, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg PA
- 2020, Fleeting Fled, Washington Sculptors, Glen Echo, MD
- 2020, Juried Exhibition, Washington County Museum of Arts, Hagerstown MD
- 2020, On Thin Ice, Carlisle Arts Center, Carlisle PA
- 2019, Animalia, Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY
- 2019, Juried Sculpture Walk, Blowing Rock NC (8/9-8/11)
- 2019, Where Have We Been, Center for the Arts Gallery, Towson University Towson MD (7/13 – 8/10) Invited
- 2019, 14th Juried Exhibition, Goggleworks, Reading PA
- 2019, Washington Sculptors Image Show, Washington DC (4/14)
- 2019, Purple Pops, Carlisle Arts Center, Carlisle PA
- 2019, Freedom:Art as Messenger, Cato Institute, Washington DC (4/11-6/14)
- 2019, Folksy, Annmarie Sculpture Garden, Solomons MD
- 2019, Juried Exhibition, Washington County Museum of Arts, Hagerstown MD
- 2019, Alterations, Carlisle Arts Center, Carlisle PA
- 2019, Night, 28th Juried Exhibition, Strathmore Arts, N. Bethesda MD
- 2018, 19th Annual Juried Exhibition, Allegany Arts Council, Cumberland MD
- 2018, Railway Benefit (invitational) Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia PA
- 2018, Sculpture Celebration 2018, Caldwell Arts Council, Lenoir NC
- 2018, Over 70 Exhibit, Delaplaine Arts Center, Frederick MD
- 2018, Big Fun Art, Annmarie Sculpture Garden, Solomons MD
- 2018, 15th Annual Juried Exhibit, Schmucker Gallery, Gettysburg College PA
- 2018, 12th Annual Juried Exhibit, Googleworks, Reading PA
- 2018, Poe & Puck, Strathmore Arts, North Bethesda, MD
- 2018, (invitational/ scheduled) Caldwell Arts Center, Lenoir NC (sculpture)
- 2017, Eye of the Beholder, MFA Circle Gallery, Annapolis MD (sculpture)
- 2017, La Vie en Bleu, Strathmore Arts, North Bethesda, MD,
- 2017, Fur, Feathers & Fins, Annmarie Sculpture Garden, Solomons MD
- 2016, Sculpture Celebration 2016, Caldwell Arts Council, Lenoir NC
- 2016, Sculpture Celebration 2015, Caldwell Arts Council, Lenoir NC
- 2015, Art of the State, State Museum of Pennsylvania, HBG. PA,
- 2015 Biennial, Rochester Fine Art Museum, Rochester NH
- 2015, Found in Transition, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg PA
- 2014, Fall Art Show, ACAC, Gettysburg, PA 2014,
- 2014, Schmucker Gallery, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg PA
Public Art Installations:
2018 – Artina, Sandy Springs Museum, Sandy Springs MD
2017 – Drive Through Art, Five Points Gallery, City of Norfolk, VA
Residencies:
Artist in Residence, Adams County Arts Council Star Grant, in conjunction with the Migrant Education & ESL Summer Program, July 2006
Project: 2D Tropical Art Collage created from participating children’s art.
Artist in Residence, Franklin Township Elementary School (Gettysburg School District), January 2004 Every child in the school took part in this project.
Project: Life-size Paper Mache figure over a wood/ wire armature.
Work History: 1986-2008, CEO/Founder, Curator of visual arts, Virginia Craft Festivals, N.VA/ DC area.
Member: International Sculptors
National Sculpture Society
Washington Sculptors
Public Collections:
UCI Medical Center, Pediatrics, Orange County CA
CHKD Childrens Hospital, Norfolk VA
Publications: (author / illustrator)
How To Books (1984 -1990)
Making Whirligigs & Other Wind Toys (Sterling, Sharon Pierce)
Making Folk Toys & Weathervanes
Making Holiday Folk Toys & Figures
Making Miniature Country Houses
Making Old-Time Folk Toys
Childrens Books (2001 – 2002)
Bunbun, the Middle One (Barefoot Books, Sharon Pierce McCullough)
Bunbun at Bedtime
Bunbun at the Fair
+ 30 Childrens ebook titles: iBooks / Amazon / Barnes & Noble (2004- 2012)
View additional Cement Sculptures.