BIOGRAPHY
Sharon Cannon’s creative life didn’t begin in a studio—it began in a one-room schoolhouse on the plains of South Dakota. Born into a farming family, she spent her early years learning self-reliance, which would shape her life for decades to come. Sharon later earned a Master’s degree in Executive Business from USC and built a long career in finance, design, and project management—fields far removed from painting.
After decades of practical, left-brain work, Sharon stumbled into an art therapy class that stayed with her for years. Eventually, as retirement approached, she gave herself permission to explore. What began as a tentative step into a painting class turned into a full creative awakening.
She studied with Los Angeles artist Susan Manders, and also trained with artists in Scotland and Cornwall. Her work is intuitive, emotional, and grounded in color. She often paints over older works—part ritual, part necessity—layering paint over paint to explore what lies beneath and beyond.
Today, Sharon lives and paints in Los Angeles, working primarily in oil and mixed media. Her process is tactile and unplanned. She uses palette knives, rags, and her fingers instead of brushes, following color where it leads. For her, painting is not just an art form—it’s a way of getting out of her head and into something freer, bolder, more alive.
Sharon recently mounted a solo exhibition at The Artists Gallery (TAG) in Los Angeles, and she has participated in numerous exhibitions nationally, online, and at regional venues such as Blue Line Gallery, Brooks Theater, California Jazz Foundation, and Long Beach Community College.