I grew up in a small town in the San Joaquin Valley,  where I learned to see the beauty in the daily elements of life: food, farmland, wildflowers and occasional sunsets on the Central Coast. I took a few drawing and oil painting courses at a community college before getting married and pouring my creative energy into home-making, mothering, ministry and hospitality. Adult life in Southern California, the Hill Country of Texas, and the Bay Area of California filled my mind with scenes and images I longed to paint.

Private watercolor classes for our daughter’s home-schooling reignited my own desire to learn and practice. There were spurts of online tutorials and classes sprinkled throughout those years. When our youngest child reached the teen years, I challenged myself to work and develop my latent artistic interest. One of the first big steps toward that end was a life changing Art Retreat in France in 2010. I also spent time that year participating in a group class at the Morgan Hill, California Cultural & Senior Center. I later took a Color and Basic Drawing classes at Evergreen Community College in San Jose, California.

After 20 years of living in Morgan Hill CA, we moved to Yokohama, Japan for a temporary work assignment for my husband’s career. During the 4 years there, I joined an art school that provided quality instruction & an artist community where I found friendship and support. The beauty and art culture in Japan continues to influence my work by inspiring vibrant watercolor koi and Geisha pieces. While in Yokohama, I had one Solo Exhibition and one Duet Exhibition where many of my pieces were sold.

After returning to the USA in 2016, we settled in Oakhurst, CA where I joined the Yosemite Western Artists Group (now Yosemite Sierra Artists) and participated in a several juried exhibitions over the years, occasionally receiving awards for my submissions. In 2019 I participated in my first Sierra Art Trails and joined an artist collective of 8 other women we call our Art Inspiration Group. We meet about once a month to encourage, challenge and share our artist journey within the context of the normal challenges of life.

In 2020-2021 I was a member of the Sierra Artists Gallery in Mariposa. I enter local exhibitions at various galleries 3-4 times a year. For updates on location of my work you can sign up for my email newsletter at https://teresajsharpart.com/email-newsletter Once or twice a year I am one of the featured Artists in the YSA section of Yosemite Gateway Art Center in Oakhurst, CA. I have also opened my home studio during the annual Sierra Art Trails for 4 years (2019, 2022, 2023 & 2024). Recently I was one of the Artists at the Art in the Garden at the Shinzen Friendship Garden in Fresno, CA.

You can see available and sold works on my website https://teresajsharpart.com/works