I was born Sharon De Vore in Panama City, Republic of Panama and grew up in Balboa, Canal Zone. After graduating from Florida State University, where I was in the FSU Flying High Circus & Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, I married, moved to Clearwater, FL & raised 2 children, Dr. Tracy Glassburn-Slusarewicz of Lexington, KY & Stephen Glassburn of Clearwater. Volunteering at Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater, Florida for over 45 years and over 19,700 hours, is still a fun thing that I do. In 1997 I served the Auxiliary as 1st Vice President/President elect, and in 1998, I was President of the 1200 member Morton Plant Hospital Auxiliary. I was also on the Board of Directors for the Morton Plant Mease (Healthcare) Foundation, and was on the Auxiliary board for years.
I started dance lessons when I was 3 years old & danced for 20+ years, was a cheerleader 3 of my high school years, was captain, & designed the cheerleader uniforms my senior year. Thus for most of my life, my artistic expression was physical. I have had a great appreciation for art all my life & been to galleries all over the world. Because I am a self taught artist, I feel that I learned from each painting I saw from childhood to present. Several times in my life I did dabble some in oils, and for many years sold hundreds of my black lacquer mola boxes. One of my oil paintings did win an award. Then in 1986 I took up photography and saw the world through my camera in a different way; an artistic way instead of strictly documentary. I was lucky to have won several awards for my photography, and my first showing came in Clearwater, Florida on January, 31, 1996 at Morton Plant Hospitals well known gallery. For the first time in the 20+ years of the art shows, FOX news came to interview me and film my photographs as they were being hung. I was featured on their weekly TV show Whats Good for Tampa Bay which was a thrill for sure. I have sold many many of my photographs, and never dreamed that some day I would be painting from those photos.
Then in the summer of 2002, my now deceased husband, Frank Gonzalez, and I bought a home in Ozark. A few months later in November, Arkansas's beauty inspired me to start painting with acrylics; thus most of my paintings are Arkansas scenes. Since then I've been lucky enough to sell many acrylics & Watercolors, and many have won awards. Several awards being 2nd place in the 56th Annual Ft. Smith Art Competition & 3rd place in the 58th Annual Ft. Smith Art Competition, which are National competitions And Best in Water Media/Mixed Media (1st Place) in the ANA 15th Annual Regional Art Competition. I also won the Ethel Ashley Founders Design Award in the 34th Annual Adult Art Competition at the CA&E in Van Buren. The April, 2007, issue of Cat Fancy Magazine featured 4 of my cat paintings. Also one of my paintings was chosen for the first Panama Canal Museum Calendar (2007) that featured artists. The Panama Canal Museum, a National Museum, and the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum each have several of my paintings in their permanent collections. �t's like a dam has opened, and I have found a way to express the beauty I see......................... Sharon De Vore
Sharon De Vore joined Pixels.com Licensing on April 20th, 2011.
