Sharon McNeil artist website

Sharon McNeil began drawing at a very early age, and at twelve won her first award for an illustration at a local newspaper competition in her hometown of Salem Oregon. She has been working in the arts ever since. Ms. McNeil earned a Bachelors of Art degree with a double major in Art and Theatre at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon. While at Lewis and Clark, she spent five months in Greece studying the language and culture on the island of Nysiros in the Dodecanese. She also spent time with her grandmother's family who still live in Athens and Kalamata. This experience filled her with images of life and celebration, history and mourning, many of which permeate her work to this day. While living in Seattle, she worked as a scenic artist for numerous theatrical organizations including Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Opera, and A Contemporary Theatre. In 1998 Ms McNeil moved to California to pursue her MFA degree in Drawing and Painting at California State University Long Beach. Since graduating in 2001, she has taught at various colleges and universities throughout Southern California. Her work has been seen in group shows throughout the west coast. she has had solo exhibitions at Lake Tahoe, Long Beach and most recently, a two-person show at the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross Georgia. She now resides in Savannah Georgia where she teaches at the Savannah College of Art and Design.