ABOUT

Before I found my voice, I found a pencil and a blank piece of paper. As a boy, drawing was my escape—an infinite field of possibilities where I could make sense of what was unclear. Where others took notes, I sketched. Drawing became a way to work through ideas, to build an internal catalog of images and insights that I could return to, like pulling a book from a library shelf. It taught me that to see clearly is to understand—and understanding has the power to reveal the unseen.

Looking back, I realize this impulse was deeply personal. Coming from a large family, I often felt unseen, and I was drawn to things that were overlooked—objects dismissed as ordinary, subjects passed over without a second glance. By giving them careful attention, elevating them through art, I could transform them into something worthy of admiration, worthy of being truly seen.

In my work, a telephone, a dog, a Rubik’s Cube—objects that might be overlooked—become icons, demanding presence, attention, reverence. Over time, this became an act of devotion. I came to see my practice as modeling what we should be doing for one another as human beings—offering attention, appreciation, and dignity to what is often ignored.

My work engages with ideas of identity, faith, and human connection, exploring how perception shapes value. It draws attention to what is often unseen, inviting introspection on the evolving ways we construct meaning. Working across oils, charcoal, and graphite, I engage with form and texture to heighten the act of seeing.

My work is a meditation on how perception shapes value, how looking closer reveals meaning, and how art—by illuminating the unseen—connects us. - Monti Sharp