Sharon Bloomfield Hicks

Website:

sharonbloomfieldhicks.com

About:

Sharon Bloomfield Hicks is a Philadelphia-based artist and member of the Portuguese-Jamaican diaspora.Her work is distinguished by bold color combinations, large shapes and active figure-ground relationships. While informed by in-depth studies at the Barnes Foundation including paintings by Matisse, Modigliani, and Picasso; her aesthetic sensibilities reflect her Caribbean roots. Adhering to a belief in the interconnection between art and healing, she synthesizes fiber techniques with painterly intentions to create fresh uplifting work which expresses the harmony and well-being she desires to see in the world.

Hicks holds a BFA in painting from Tyler School of Art and an MS in occupational therapy from Philadelphia University. A member at Da Vinci Art Alliance in Philadelphia, her solo show Concepts & Compositions explored the yin and yang in art, health and life in 2022. Works by Hicks have been included in exhibitions at the Delaware Contemporary, Philadelphia Art Alliance, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Museum of the Hudson Highlands, Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Third Street Gallery, Nexus and other venues.

Artist Statement:

Working at the intersection of vision and healing, my art process is guided by a passion for learning and a yearning for harmony. Using paint and fiber, I combine contrasting colors with interlocking lines and shapes to create unity and drama. 

My art runs parallel to my sense of identity and belonging. It’s about finding balance and seeing anew. 

The healing arts and former work as a visual and occupational therapist inform my understanding of my art practice as a therapeutic activity. I’m inspired by the island vibrancy of Jamaica and its national motto: “Out of many, one people.” 

Belonging is the experience of harmony and oneness; similarly, healing is a process of maintaining balance, harmony and wholeness. I create all of this with my art.