When Hendersonville-based artist Sharon Eng couldn’t choose between her passion for abstract photography and painting, she decided to marry the two.
She now often paints directly onto her photographs with acrylic paint or uses the photos in her mixed media pieces.
“I first became interested in photography about 40 years ago in Asheville,” Eng said. “From the onset, I loved light, shapes and forms.” Eng says she rarely take a picture of an entire scene or object and opts for a close up or macro instead, often resulting in an interesting abstract.
To create her photo-painted mixed media pieces, Eng has her abstract macro photographs printed on canvas and adds acrylic paint or paper to create an entirely new mixed media piece. Sometimes the paint is used to just add depth or texture. One painting, “To Market,” began as a photograph of graffiti on an old metal shed. She says she saw a vision of a Caribbean village and island women carrying wares on their heads in the markings in the photo. Using bright paper and paint, she deftly brought out her vision.
The painting is on exhibit at Art Mob Studios and Marketplace in Hendersonville, NC, which represents her. Many times she prints photos to use as collage paper in her mixed media paintings.
“If I had to categorize my style, I think ‘representational abstract’ might fit,” Eng says. “Whether it’s in my abstract macro photography or my mixed media paintings, I usually need to be able to visualize something from the natural world – a landscape, beach scene, forest, etc.”
Eng’s photography and paintings are on her website at www.sharon-eng.pixels.com for purchase as prints in many sizes and finishes (now even on wood). They can also be made into decorative pillows, shower curtains, and tote bags, as well as cell phone cases. Eng purchased one of her abstract photo images recently as a case for her new cell phone. She also printed one of her abstracts on wood as she felt it was a beachy look that would be even better in that rustic finish. She was right. “From the Sea” appears to be a sea fan attached to a piece of driftwood and looks as though it belongs in a beachside cottage.