Artist Sharon Grimes strives to give you sights you've never seen before.
The Longview, Texas-based artist paints just about every day after retiring from decades as a hairstylist, and that appreciation for color she must have felt on the job is true in her new work.
"I'm an intuitive painter," says Grimes, whose work is now displayed at Texarkana's Regional Arts Center for the solo exhibit Written in the Stars, up now through Oct. 29. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the RAC.
Looking at her work recalls the workings of nature, whether it's the collision of celestial forms or waves merging in the ocean. She wants something dynamic and soft in the same instant.
"I think it mirrors our lives," Grimes said about this aim. To her, it's true to how we live.
In her artist's statement, she writes that she starts with texture, then works with layers of translucent acrylic paint. Typically, she paints on birch panels at the recommendation of the person who builds her frames.
In her art, Grimes sees a meditative element.
"The creation of art is a meditation for me. It is a reflection of my heart onto the surface," she writes in her statement. "I gain inspiration from nature and specifically the effect of light. I watch the sun as it sets to see the color it creates and the way the light peeks around the clouds. My work represents the language of the soul. I strive to evoke a sense of mystery and beauty in each piece."
She's been painting for roughly a quarter of a century, but only in the past six could she dedicate every day to the art. As a youngster, she enjoyed drawing. A year abroad in London inspired her further.
"It was just a dream come true for me to be able to do it full time," the self-taught Grimes said.
That dream come true also brings her art to various audiences, whether it's at the Longview Museum of Fine Arts or Elm Street Studio in Keller, Texas. Her work has found its way to private collections and been displayed publicly at other venues, such as The Women's Center of East Texas.
Now, she's in Texarkana with the largest show she's had: 35 pieces. The title refers to a series of paintings she's created, which forms part of the exhibit. Written in the Stars speaks to our intuitive nature and the messages we get from our intuition, she said.
She is, she says, "very much inspired by the universe and the atmosphere." Since she was a kid, she's enjoyed watching the clouds and how light forms around them.
"I get a lot of my color from trying to figure out how to mix something that I've seen in the sky," Grimes said.
She doesn't typically paint primary colors. They're usually blended in some respect, so hence more original to her process. She employs texture, layering and contrast. That contrast lends a visual tension she likes.
"I love vivid colors, but every color that I use is typically neutralized just a bit," Grimes explained.
These paintings are ones she's worked on with great excitement and anticipation for at least the past year. "The body of work, it's the largest I've ever done," she said, noting museum shows are where her heart is.
She's looking forward to the exhibit being up and sharing her art in Texarkana.
"I'm really excited to be there and I hope people enjoy it," Grimes said. "And I hope the community is enriched by it."
(Admission is free. The RAC is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 321 W. 4th St. in downtown Texarkana. More info: TRAHC.org or 903-792-8681.)