ABOUT

As a boy, drawing was my escape—a pencil and a blank sheet of paper were boundless terrain, where lines and marks became a way to process and interpret the world. Where others took notes, I sketched. It was not just an act of recording but of revealing, a way to map what was going on in my mind. Over time, this practice became something more—a method of inquiry, a means of distilling clarity from ambiguity.

Looking back, I recognize this impulse as deeply personal. As the youngest in a large family, I often felt unseen, relegated to the second-hand, the overlooked. I found myself drawn to objects that shared this fate—things dismissed as ordinary, things passed over without consideration. In attending to them, elevating them through art, I discovered that attention itself has transformative power. What is seen—truly seen—becomes something more.

Today, this pursuit continues. I remain compelled by what is easily ignored—a telephone, a chair, a Rubik’s Cube. Through my work, they are no longer incidental; they become icons, commanding presence, attention, even reverence. This is more than artistic practice—it is an act of devotion.

My reverence for the unseen was shaped, in part, by my religious upbringing and an early fascination with Renaissance materials and techniques. I work with oil, charcoal, and graphite—not merely as tools but as conduits for a deeper exploration of identity, faith, and human connection. My process is tactile, emphasizing texture and form, drawing the viewer closer—not just to look, but to see.

Yet, paradoxically, my work has reshaped my own vision. It has illuminated meaning in places I had overlooked, revealing what I failed—or refused—to see. And this, in the end, is what I want for the viewer. - Monti Sharp