Sunday Salon: Sitting Down with Sharon Crute

Every Sharon Crute painting reveals the depth of her passion for the horses that inspire her art. These are not "pretty little paintings": Sharon's art explodes with the thunder of hooves, the excitement of racing toward the finish line. then shift to capture a quite, sun-drenched moment behind the barn.  Technically, Crute excels at her craft, and I was thrilled when she agreed to "sit down" with me as the first participant in the Sunday Salon.

I asked Sharon to tell me about  what inspired her.  This is what she had to say.

"All I ever wanted to do was ride horses. I was born with this strange urge to gallop constantly. I galloped to school, galloped my chores and galloped incessantly around the yard. Discouragement from family kept me from achieving Olympic potential – where I was destined. My father wanted me to pursue a career in the arts. He cut off the financial support and I reluctantly acquiesced. I attended a technical high school studying graphic arts and later attained a BFA in painting from a New England art school. I spent the next twenty-five years on the horse racing circuit with my trainer husband who would search out spaces for me to paint such as a spare tack room. Involved in all aspects of racing from hotwalker to racing official, I’d have to say my paintings are “straight from the trenches”. 

I embody the passion of the equine subject but adamantly reject sentimentality. Many of my peers are the “4-F” painters: Foals Frolicking in Field of Flowers. I abandoned the traditional, realistic style (and what I suspect is mostly copying photos) and intensively studied the masters to search out how they achieved such emotional resonance and power in their equine subjects sans sappiness. When I learned to take these lessons forward and integrate them into my contemporary milieu, I knew I’d found my artistic bliss. 

Equine art is considered genre by the art world. I can’t simply paint horses over and over on a canvas. So I ask: how can I take this “genre” and integrate it into the mainstream? How can I portray this magnificent and dangerous animal in a provocative, innovative and compelling way? This is my time of experimentation, pushing envelopes and constantly inviting a challenge - a fresh dialog with the viewer."

Sharon added that I had asked "Great questions that made me THINK...Thanks for the challenge!"

I would like to thank you, Sharon, for starting the dialog at the first Sunday Salon. 

Harrowing@Sharon Crute                                      In Hand@Sharon Crute

                                    

                                             

Mile & Sixteenth @ Sharon Crute

Sharon can be contacted at the following:

Sharon Crute 

2147 NE 79th Place, Ocala, FL 34479 

studio: 352-671-7469 

http://www.sharoncrute.com/

Art of Horse Racing blog

Comments

[Bonnie]

Sue,
You've hit on a wonderfully, until now, hidden benefit of these pages by suggesting the Salon idea. I've gleaned so much encouragement and support from the generous sharing of other artists whose work I not only admire but am inspired by.
I can see why you've chosen Sharon's work-you can feel the ground thundering under those hooves. And the committment thundering under her descriptive words.
Thank you for providing this marvelous venue for all of the talented company on your site.

[Sue Favinger Smith]

Sharon ~ your responses read so well and made such sense to me that I left off the "question" part for each statement. If that was confusing to some readers, I promise to get better at this. The questions were posted in Tag with a Twist

[Sue Favinger Smith]

Sharon ~ thank you for being such a gracious first victim - ahem, I mean interview. What you shared with us is exactly what I think other artists are interested in reading about -- the sources of inspiration, the different pathways to reaching the goals.

Chae ~ Thank you, too, for giving me the feedback that lets me know this idea will work. I know there are tons of interview blogs and sites out there and my hope is that the Sunday Salons move beyond that first stage.

Vivien ~ I have been following your recent ocean paintings. yes, it is exciting to see all the different blogs moving beyond just a single artist's point of view and creating something greater than its parts.

[Sharon Crute]

Thank you Sue for asking me to be the first participant of your Sunday Salon series. You did a fab job putting it together and I agree with Vivien, I'm looking forward to reading about other artists. Great blogging is achieved through interesting content, and you're creating it!

[Chae]

Interesting article on Sharon Crute! And yes! To produce it you had to have asked well-thought-thru questions. Well done!
What a great idea to start a Sunday Salon !!!
Chae

[vivien]

A really interesting article - and a great idea. I look forward to reading more of these interviews. It's always interesting to hear the background and thoughts behind an artists work, adding to the understanding :)

Superb paintings too