Questions You Might Have?

How did you get started in the arts?

Arts and crafts have been a part of my whole life. Its forms include latchook, needlework, crochet, and later photography and scrapbooking.

I did not take a traditional art course during my secondary and college education. I learned how to do various techniques by scrapbooking artists online through Social Media sites like YouTube or Pinterest. I also obtained advice from artists in the family as needed.

Do you have a mission statement?

My mission is that through the expression of my art, honor God and share the gospel of Jesus Christ written in the stars and in our lives, encouraging fellow believers and others in this ever-changing world.

What is mixed-media art?

Mixed media art as I have experienced it can be two or three dimensional, and includes more than one type of material or medium. The imagination if limitless in this category. Generally on the canvas it is a combination of a dry media such as a chalk pastel and a wet medium such as acrylic paint. This is the basic definition. The definition of mixed media art, though, goes even beyond this definition, as it covers terminology such as assemblage and collage, and installation art.

How is my art related to mixed media scrapbooking?

My artist journey has a part in the world of scrapbooking. In 2000 I started into traditional scrapbooking, around the use of photos following my interest in photography. I went from framing my prints to creatively putting them together in scrapbook albums. After awhile, I started noticing the extraordinary scrapbook layouts people were doing on canvases. So I started experimenting in this mixedmedia look on paper. Then I moved from scrapbooking around people and events to scrapbooking about ideas. Finally I moved from working layouts onto papers to applying it to the canvas. It has been the mixed-media scrapbooking style that has influenced my art.

Where does your inspiration come from?

While my creative style is influenced by my journey through the scrapbooking world, my subject matter is often influenced through a mix of living life and my faith in Christ. In fact, I view my artistic skills as a spiritual gift called Craftsmanship. This particular gift is referenced in the Old Testament.

What is the Spiritual Gift of Craftsmanship?

The following is a definition of Craftsmanship/Artistry given by The Synod Resource Center:

The gift of craftsmanship and artistry: the special ability to forward God's kingdom through creative skills such as carpentry, drama, graphic arts, painting, and sculpting. This gift provides the believer with the skill of creating artistic expressions that produce a spiritual response of strength and inspiration.

Although not specifically listed with the gifts in the New Testament in the long list that St. Paul provides, clearly God has gifted individuals with remarkable craftsmanship and artistic skills from the earliest of recorded time. Old Testament references give vivid accounts of God's distribution of giftedness in these areas -whether for the building of temples or for use to glorify God in praise.

There are really two aspects of this giftedness: inspiration and skill. A person with this gift will probably have a 'creative bent' and enjoy innovating, designing, and making new things - this will seem quite natural. But also the gift may manifest itself in fine skilled craftsmanship that someone might find in areas such as embroidery, furniture making or cabinetry. When these abilities and skills are directed toward forwarding God's cause, they fulfill their purpose as a spiritual gift.

You might find more interesting information around the topic through books by Matt Tommey and Christ John Otto. A few are:

Creativity According to the KIngdom (Matt Tommey)
Unlocking the Heart of the Artist (Matt Tommey)
Bezalel (Christ John Otto)
An Artist's Arsenal (Christ John Otto)
Mary (Christ John Otto)

How do I take care of my new artwork? (Care Instructions).

As a general rule I would say not to hang your painting/artwork in the direct sunlight as the sunlight could fade the work with time. Many of my artworks are sturdy enough to last a long time regardless of its materials. The one exception might be encaustics. Encaustics are generally speaking made of melted wax, whether beeswax or another wax, like crayon.

Don't leave your encaustic work in a hot space, be that the trunk of your car on a hot day or in a hot room. There is after creation, a general curing and hardening time of 1 to 3 years. Until then, the best bet is keep it in a somewhat cool area.

Some encaustic colors tend to "bloom" as in become cloudy over time. If your painting appears indistinct (even apart from it being an abstract), simply rub the surface with a soft cloth or nylon stocking. Again, over time the surface retains the gloss as the wax medium continues to cure up to 1 to 3 years.

I am a gallery or store and I'd like to carry your work?

Thank you for your interest! Please feel free to contact me for inquiries about representation, licensing, of wholesale opportunities. Send me an email at sharonolveradesign@outlook.com or use the contact form on the website to get my attention.

Do you create art on commission?

Yes. I am open to doing commissioned works of art. If you are interested in having me create a special piece of art for you on commission, be aware that commissioning art is very different from purchasing completed art. People who get the most enjoyment from art that they commission keep several general factors in mind:

Make sure your ideas and design match the style of the artist you are commissioning. Based on this, when you consider commissioning me to create art for you, look over my website gallery to determine whether the art you envision matches my artwork style.

Be comfortable with the knowledge that your design will transform into something new. Visit my Commission page for more information.

Regarding Copyright....

All artwork is copyrighted under Sharon Olvera Design.

All images and content on this website is protected under United States and International copyright laws. Images cannot be reproduced or otherwise distributed without written permission from the copyright holder.

Any images purchased in the shop is for personal use only. Images may not be downloaded, printed or used without permission from the copyright holder. Patterns, images are not to be used as blog, social media or any other type of website background. If you want to use any of my images on your blog, let me know and be sure to credit me and my website.