“Sometimes it can seem as though chaos is all around us but, of course, that’s an illusion. The world is far more beautiful than it is chaotic. At times, that can be hard to see. Yet, there it is when we look and listen carefully.”
Louisiana-native Monti Sharp was born and raised in the town of Monroe, where he began drawing and painting at a young age. Now, an accomplished professional actor, Monti recalls the beginning of his career when he relied on drawing and painting to soothe the stressful pursuit of his big break.
“Those days were hard. But they showed me that art can change things; that it can turn a negative into something positive. In this way, I believe, art has the potential to save the world. I guess I try to express that in my work.”
With a love for the process, Monti focuses on combining the use of Renaissance techniques, contemporary materials, and digital tools. A self-taught artist, his passion for oil painting derives from some of his earliest experiences in New York City.
“I would spend a lot of time in museums and I worked in an art gallery in Soho for a time. That’s how I got first-hand exposure to fine art and I was soaking it all in.“
Part of the fun for Monti is researching and experimenting with new techniques and materials. He is a stickler for attention to detail and confesses that he’s obsessed with it.
“I put a lot of myself into every drawing, every stroke of the brush. I want the work and whatever message it communicates to last for generations.”
When not in his studio making art, you will most likely find him on a set somewhere filming his latest role as he regularly appears in national commercials, television shows, streaming media, and movies. Monti is based in Los Angeles, California. Click to find out more.