About
David Sharpe A.C.A
I'm influenced by the American, British and Russian Impressionist Painters, with a special affinity for the American Tonalists of the 20th Century.
Seeing nature’s colours more subtlety than intensely, I say this this about my work:
“There’s no big complicated ‘idea’ behind it. It’s just all about the light. Seeing it, feeling it and trying to capture it as I see it around me. Compositions with a simple strong design that capture a ‘sense of place’ also attract me. If my work strikes the same visual and emotional chord in a viewer that it did in me when I painted it, if it can make that viewer feel real emotion then I’ve succeeded as a painter.”
An Honours graduate in illustration from the Alberta College of Art and Design, I've taught Drawing and Design at The Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), Concordia University, and Capilano College in Vancouver. I've lectured extensively at Queens University, St Lawrence College and Humber College where I sat on the College’s Advisory Board. I've also taught Plein Air Painting for Beginners and Drawing for the Landscape through Gallery Stratford. My work has won numerous awards at plein air events and exhibitions and is actively collected in Canada and the USA.
Ontario Plein Air Society
I'm also a founding member of the Ontario Plein Air Society
I’m also the only Canadian member of the prestigious and exclusive American Tonalist Society.
I live and work in the beautiful town of Stratford, in SW Ontario about 2 hours west of Toronto and also from a studio in the Alberta foothills near the ranching town of Cochrane Alberta. My work is represented by Village Studios in Stratford(Ontario) and Mountain Galleries in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, The Jasper Park Lodge and Chateau Whistler.
I am available for teaching workshops in Canada. My workshop ‘Painting The Emotional Landscape’ has been well received and I teach it regularly. Visit the ‘Workshops’ page here for more information on upcoming workshops, my teaching approach and course outline as well as how to book me to teach.
I'm active on Facebook and Instagram and invite you to join me there.
Teaching 'Painting The Emotional Landscape' Workshop at The Franciscan Life Process Art School-a beautiful 200 acre retreat near Lowell Michigan.
"We recently had David Sharpe come and give a workshop at the Franciscan Life Process Center in Lowell, MI. I could see, right from the start, that David was determined that no one would leave his workshop without solid fundamental training in plein air painting, and interpreting the landscape. He gently worked one on one with every single student in the workshop. When we were out on site he demonstrated from start to finish a beautiful painting, teaching that a thumb nail value drawing that he clipped to his easel would help all of them as a guide - to in the end of the painting the beautiful elegant strokes that are signature in his beautiful paintings. As they left there were thank you's for bringing him in, and genuine pleasure in being his student - smiles everywhere. We've already booked him for 2019 and are happy to add him to our strong lineup of excellent teachers.
-Kathy Bechtel, Art Director, Franciscan Life Process Center-www.lifeprocesscenter.org"
