Alumni Spotlight: Rachel (Brack) Sharp ’93

Rachel (Brack) Sharp is an artist based in the UK who is well known for her figurative paintings using highly textured, thick paint. She has recently exhibited at BALTIC 39 and Gallery North in Newcastle upon Tyne and Atkinson Gallery in Somerset. In 2012, Rachel’s solo exhibition, “Persona,” appeared at Arts Complex in Edinburgh, Scotland and she took part in “The Figure Now” exhibition at Brooklyn Artists Gym, New York.

Her work has been reviewed in The Guardian and featured in the publication About Painting, with an introduction by the art critic Barry Schwabsky. In addition to painting, Rachel is an Arts Contributor to The Scotsman newspaper and Peel, American Style and NY Arts magazines.

Rachel is currently pursuing a Practice-led Ph.D. in Fine Art at Northumbria University. She earned a MA in Fine Art from Northumbria University and a BA in Humanities and Religious Studies from the Open University, graduating with First Class Honours. She also studied at the New York Studio School for Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where she received the Arthur B. Carles and Chautauqua Institution Scholarships. Rachel is a 1993 graduate of the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities. She lives in Scotland with her British husband, Ian.

“The Indiana Academy gave me so many wonderful opportunities. For instance, it allowed me to take my first university level art classes at Ball State. I remember using the student lounge in my residence hall as a studio! More than anything, the encouragement which I received from teachers and peers at the Academy helped to motivate me to pursue my dreams.”

Links:

• www.rachelsharp.com
• www.facebook.com/rachelsharppaintings