"Clouds" are flying during ArtPrize

The diverse crowd moving about the city is what makes the ArtPrize competition and showcase truly unique. The eyes of the art world are once again on the city of Grand Rapids as art submissions, grand and small, will be viewed by thousands in the days to come. I profile an up-and-comer named Christy Sharp, whose mixed media piece titled Clouds sits elegantly on the front wall of the San Chez restaurant on Fulton St.

ArtPrize has San Chez ablaze with excitement as I sit down with Christy at the bar, ready to dig a little deeper into the thoughts of this local artist.

“I believe ArtPrize is great for the local community because it allows people to develop an understanding and an appreciation for the arts,” Christy said with a large, bright smile. “Most people are not educated on certain forms of art, and I believe this event allows the average person to become more aware of what the art world has to offer.”

Christy, now 29, has been aware of the arts since she was a child growing up in the small town of Stanwood just outside Big Rapids.

“My parents didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up, so I got a lot of coloring books for Christmas," she blushed. “I began to create at a very young age and my passion just grew from there.”

In high school, Christy began to hone her skills in the art program. She started to find her style and with help from her art teacher, Christy was accepted into Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids to study fine arts and photography. She moved to Grand Rapids with her best friend Jody and started her path to becoming a professional artist.

Moving from a small town (where most of her extended family lived within miles of each other) to Grand Rapids was a very exciting time in Christy’s young life.

“Although my parents were divorced, I always had family close to me and moving to Grand Rapids was just far enough away where I could have my freedom,” she relayed with a chuckle. “I would have never done it without Jody though!”

Christy’s husband Denny has also given her unconditional support, as well as her siblings Don, Tyler, and Stacy. Christy sips her white wine as she tells me that she met a lot of wonderful people immediately when she moved to Grand Rapids, which helped her adapt to the culture easily.

Christy now lives in Wyoming and works as a waitress for San Chez. On top of working full time and creating mixed media, Christy is also an avid photographer.

“I just love to express myself with as many outlets as possible,” she said. “I don’t know what to say, I just start creating!”

Although Christy does not let herself be heavily influenced by any one certain artist, (she prefers to let her originality shine) she is a big fan of the paintings of Juan Miro, who she believes has a uniquely simplistic style which also happens to be “brilliant!”

Christy’s submission of Clouds is not unlike other works she has created.

“I believe in small and intimate,” she said with a grin. “I want Clouds to seduce people and reach out and give observers a big hug and hopefully a little glimpse of who I am as an artist.”

For her college art thesis, Christy created a mixed media presentation consisting of 100 small 3-by-3-inch paintings.

“I loved that piece in college, but honestly, Clouds is my favorite piece,” Christy proudly professed.

Clouds is painted on three different pieces of canvass consisting of acrylic paints, cut paper, and a few three dimensional items.

“I never have anything in mind when I start to paint, it just happens,” she said. “It is pure creation.”

ArtPrize is the biggest venue in which Christy has showcased, but not the only one. She has submitted her work to the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art (UICA), where she showcased a photograph of a dew-drenched spider web. Art makes Christy feel good about her inner self and fuels a passion that seems to be oozing out of her.

“My art is open to everyone, and I hope everyone will enjoy a little piece of me during this exciting time of ArtPrize,” Christy said with a contagious smile.

To aspiring artists out there, Christy has some simple advice. “Open yourself up and allow people to see the honest you. Overcome your fears and do not worry about criticism, because that is what being an artist is all about.”

Christy Sharp's Clouds can be viewed at the San Chez restaurant on Fulton St. You can also view other works by Christy on her Facebook fan page when you search “Christy Sharp artist page,” as well as her artist blog at . Sharp is working hard to succeed at something she loves, hopefully entertaining others in the process.