Wednesday, November 08, 2023
Some artists are extraordinarily productive, with minds always full of ideas and intentions. Sharon Cutts is one such individual, and from her Pawtucket studio is constantly producing inventive works that meld the fields of painting, mixed media, collage, sculpture, and canvas mosaics. She is an artist with a vision whose studio is a center of enthusiastic, creative production.
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Originally from Wisconsin, Cutts first began making art at around thirteen years old when she would use her mother’s oil paints to create images on manilla folders. She studied at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she concentrated on ceramics, and went on to teach ceramics and create ceramic-based sculptures. She then relocated to the Chicago area and found a new purpose as a painter, gaining gallery representation in the process and sending her work into private collections in the area. Since 2006, Cutts has been based in the Ocean State and, from her Rhode Island studio, has been creating works that blur boundaries and raise questions about topics that interest her, like science and ecology.
A visit to Cutts’ studio at 80 Fountain Street in Pawtucket reveals a space packed full with materials and completed works. Much of the artist’s production are pieces that are labor intensive including thoughtful mosaics that utilize small cut canvas elements to make up larger forms. Asked about what process means to her work, Cutts says, “I value the amount of hard work that I put into my art. Partly, it’s because it is a way of connecting with others. I feel that the more energy I put in, the more energy viewers will get out of a painting or sculpture. Effort is not wasted, it is transformed and projected. As for how I begin a painting, ideas flood into my head, usually when I’m in bed or driving alone. It’s a torrent, and I sift and winnow until I know what I want to do. Then I begin. I do not suffer from an artistic block or anything like that. I always want to work. Usually, I enjoy new technical and compositional challenges. New techniques and problems to solve are a lot of fun for me.”
The technical problems that Cutts solves in her work sometimes feel puzzle-like. She finds unique ways to combine colors, elements, shapes, or effects that are provocative and enjoyable to unravel as a viewer. Speaking of what she hopes people who look at her work take away from it, Cutts states, “Each artwork has an individual understory, often environmental, sometimes just plain dark. What we’ve done to the world is pretty bad, but even the natural order–the grand plan of mortality or hyenas eating a wildebeest alive–all that troubles me as well. In some paintings, I want viewers to get a sense of this darkness. But I also would like them to think: Wow, that’s a lot of energy! Or: She likes color! Or: Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that before!”
Cutts’ work is in a class of its own and uses a visual vocabulary that she has created on her own. Ideas come to her and she works through them both practically and narratively to form bodies of work that are diverse and fascinating. She works out of a converted mill building that is full of fellow artists, but among the tenants is a local arts organization, Art League Rhode Island, that has become an important part of Cutts’ life as a working artist in the state, where she initially struggled to adjust when relocating here seventeen years ago.
She joined Art League relatively recently, but their proximity to her studio makes it a valuable relationship. Of the group, Cutts says, “I am happy to see how the Art League encourages creativity and helps to develop the arts in Rhode Island.”
For Cutts, the Art League is just one of a variety of venues where she has shared her work, and she has also been represented locally by Dryden Gallery in North Providence and Candita Clayton Gallery of Pawtucket and New Hampshire. She is an artist who deserves attention and whose artworks reward viewers who take the time to look closely at their profound and fascinating intricacies.
Looking ahead within her practice, Cutts is excited to make art and is encouraging of others who want to pursue their creative passions. She states, “Right now I’m trying to finish up a number of paintings I’ve either started or have planned. Then, I think I want to do more wood sculptures. Creating art is exciting, and it keeps me eager. I wish a lot more people experimented with their creativity. They might be surprised where it takes them.”
Learn more about Sharon Cutts at www.sharoncutts.com.
Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.
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