The University Libraries is pleased to announce our fall 2014 exhibition titled “Descriptive Abstractions – Painting With Dust” by Sharon Killian. The show includes more than a dozen works, some over 4 feet in length, in dry pastel on arches cover.

Sharon describes the pieces in this exhibit as “melding the figurative and the abstract in a process that provides the artistic and aesthetic tension that feeds her creativity as an ‘art for art’s sake’ devotee.” As she explains, lush but ephemeral images, perhaps landscapes or skyscapes from certain angles, can devolve into unique abstractions of color and shape.

The Libraries are also happy to have the opportunity to show Sharon’s Black Series in this exhibit, which consists of three paintings in acrylic on raw canvas, depicting the difficult, constant struggle for equality as a Black person in America. 

Her work is often informed by her location, just east of Fayetteville. She currently teaches an art education course in the Department of Art at the University of Arkansas, and is president of Northwest Arkansas African American Heritage Association. Originally from Harlem, New York, by way of Jamaica, West Indies, she says she spent her formative years in the museums and galleries of Manhattan. 

Sharon Killian’s work can be found in several collections including the University of Arkansas. Many of the pieces in this show are for sale, and interested visitors can request a price list by emailing Martha Guirl-Phillips in the University Libraries Dean’s Office, at mlgp@uark.edu. “Descriptive Abstractions – Painting With Dust” is on view now through December in Mullins Library’s Main Lobby and Northwest Hall Galleries.