Sharon Bartel Clements

Sharon Bartel Clements was born in North Tonawanda, NY. Her family originated in France and Germany, but her paternal family has been in the western New York region since 1851. Her family settled in Bergholtz, NY. She is a direct descendant of Charles August Mehwaldt, a master craftsman and potter who worked on one of the region's first potter's wheels.

Sharon Bartel Clements recieved her BA and MS degrees in Art Education from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. She has participated in programs at the Laguna Beach School of Art, the Art Students League in New York City, and postgraduate work at the University of Maryland, as well as taking part in various workshops in California and New Mexico. Clements taught art to 7th through 9th grade students in Lewiston, N.Y. for eight years. She is presently a full-time artist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, though she still feels a strong connection to the western New York region.

For Sharon Bartel Clements, painting allows her to explore the reflective nature of the internal self as well as the individual's perspectives of the external world. Through her works, she celebrates the "fullness of nature, who and what we are, in all aspects of living."(S.B. Clements) Travelling throughout the world gives her many opportunities to explore how different cultures celebrate the richness of nature. Clements often paints with her hands to achieve a "sense of communing with my canvas and experiencing my 'first' tribal energies. Color, movement, and texture help project this energy upon the surface of the canvas. Transforming materials into a sculptural representation is another dimension of my art." (S.B. Clements)

 Sharon Bartel Clements work can be seen at http://bartelclements.com/