Painting scenes of old rural American is my inspiration and passion. I paint my landscapes simply, from my heart. In my paintings I want to capture the feel of peaceful, quiet, isolation, found here yet.

I have always had a fascination with old farmsteads, especially the old farmhouses and barns found on them. Some of my fondest childhood memories and inspiration for my paintings are of the visits to my grandparent’s remote Midwestern farm. Set down a very long lane, that eventually wound around the old barn, horse pasture, granary, crib, machine shed, chicken house, to end up at their old farmhouse with a white picket fence in the yard beyond. The crochet set would be on the lawn and Grandma would have one of her homemade pies waiting on the kitchen counter. A little bit of heaven here on earth, it felt to me, way back then!

I received a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from NIU.  My work has been shown in national & regional juried exhibitions including: “Annual International Small Works Show” at Emerald Gallery, Fairfield, IA, Springfield Art Association “The Modern Landscape”, Springfield, IL, and “Agriculture in Art” at the New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI.   My original landscape paintings are in private collections throughout the U.S.A. as well as in: Canada, France, Iceland, Portugal, Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Zimbabwe, and Australia. Besides painting, I am also currently working as consultant on an Australian movie short “The Landing”, that is set on an old farm in the American Heartland. 

 I work in acrylic, oil and soft pastel. I most often work in acrylic paint for my current series of “Heartland” landscapes. My paintings are done on stretched canvas, hardboard and linen panels. My painting style leans towards Realism, although I often use elements of Tonalism and Minimalism in them. I hope that you will enjoy viewing my original paintings! My work has been described as having an intriguing peacefulness, in its quiet simplicity.  I live and paint on an old farmstead in the rural Midwest. My contemporary paintings of the American Heartland are inspired by the beauty and vastness of the back country landscape.

 I have been blessed to be able to live in the country surrounded by these calm landscapes and find endless inspirations from them for paintings.

I love having the opportunity in life to paint

and hope that you will enjoy viewing my art work!

Sincerely,   Sharon France

sharon@francegallery.net