“Sharon Hall Featured in March at Village Gallery of Local Artists”

Fiber clay sculptor Sharon Hall will be the Featured Artist at the Village Gallery of Local Artists for the month of March 2025. A reception will be held on Friday, March 7th, from 5 to 8 p.m. to showcase her collection. Hall will be present to discuss her work and explain her process.

Hall’s display sits by a large window at the Village Gallery. Bright sunlight showcases her work, consisting primarily of her whimsical “critters,” as she refers to them. Long-legged horses, friendly bears, and playful kittens and puppies. “I love horses,” she emphasizes. But cats might just be her favorite. “I love when I sculpt kitties. I’ve got a couple of different pieces – like a kitten on its back with a ball of yarn.”

Her primary medium, fiber clay, is an air-dry material that does not need firing. Hall sculpts the clay and allows it to dry before painting the piece. The finished product resembles bronze. Hall’s process is very straightforward. “I grab a handful of clay and just start working it into legs. Then, I do feet and then the body. I frequently let that sit for a while, then do the head, tail, and mane. Just build it from the ground up. Each piece is handmade; there’s no mold.”

After thirty years working as a safety engineer on boilers, pressure vessels, and nuclear power plants, throughout the South and Midwest, Hall retired to the mild Sedona winter in 2014. “Sedona was the most beautiful place I’d ever been.”

She started taking classes at the Sedona Art Center (SAC), beginning with pottery and eventually participating in one of the SAC shows. Her teachers included Barbara Brown, Ken Rowe, and Joanie Wolters, all of whom she credits with developing and inspiring her. Hall has been a full-time working artist for the last seven years and has been affiliated with the Village Gallery for six years now.

Even throughout her engineering career, Hall lived a creative life. “I’ve always been a crafter. If there was a craft class, I would take it. Stained glass, glassblowing, candle and soap making, jewelry. I love to putz with my hands.”

The public is invited to meet Sharon Hall, view her work, and discuss her process from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 7th. Refreshments will be served. The Village Gallery is located at 6512 State Route 179, in the Village of Oak Creek, and is always accepting applications for unique art and new membership in our cooperative style gallery. For more information, go to sedonalocalartists.com or phone (928) 284-1416.

 

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