Sharon Markwardt is a fourth generation Texan and a life-long artist with an Art degree and a Biology minor. The colorful style for which she is known emerged in the last decade or so, and paralleled her entrance into horsemanship, with its associated injuries and challenges. She laughingly credits her mare with “throwing her into western art!” since her colorful style emerged after a fall. She had the courage to get back in the saddle, and eventually learned the value of calm assertiveness. A new boldness entered her art, and she moved from watercolor to oils.  Her color perception altered, as did her subject matter: stronger, brighter, more Western.  Sharon enjoys pushing her colors and designs while retaining realism and attention to detail. She lives on small acreage in a suburb near Ft. Worth, and has a second studio in Santa Fe, NM.

Animals of the West have become her favorite subjects. It’s no wonder; with horses, dogs, and a donkey on her property, and surrounded by the neighbor’s longhorns, goats, and chickens, interaction with the animals is a part of the daily rhythm. She keeps a camera handy as she travels as well, to catch shots of other subjects.  “I feel a connection to these creatures, and I love it when I can express their personalities and emotion, their soulfulness. So much comes through in the eyes. Painting them gives me great joy, and I think it shows. When collectors tell me my work makes them smile every day … what could be better?”

Sharon’s work has been curated into a major exhibition at the Booth Museum of Western Art (2017). She was invited to the prestigious show, “Cowgirl Up!” at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in 2012, and every year since.  Women Artists of the West awarded her Master Signature status in 2016, an honor bestowed upon only eleven members in the group’s 45 year history. She is also a member of Oil Painters of America. Publications include Southwest Art, Western Art Collector, Art of the West, Cowgirl Magazine, Cowboys and Indians, The Santa Fean, Santa Fe Collector’s Guide, and more.

Sharon’s bright colors and bold, close-focus compositions have forged a distinctive style popular with jurors and collectors alike. She has won numerous awards including (since 2008) two top awards at “A New Look at the West” National invitational show at the Pearce Museum, “Juror’s Choice Award” at the Women Artists of the West National juried show, four “Best of Shows,” two “Winsor & Newton Awards,” lots of First Place honors in Works on Paper, Works on Canvas, and even Sculpture. She has had solo and group shows at Waxlander Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, (now closed).  She is proud to have joined Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, and is often the featured artist at her other gallery representation, Your Private Collection in Granbury, TX.