Mixed Media on Canvas and Assemblage By Sharon J Montgomery.

Sharon J. Montgomery

Artist Statement

For thirty years, as a professional artist, I worked as a painter, printmaker, ceramicist and sculptor. During that time, I also trained in Cranial-sacral therapy. My work as an artist and as a therapist merged when I transitioned into a mixed media artist incorporating some of the knowledge I garnered from the therapy training. I create assemblages with found objects on wooden stages generally painted as checkerboards. I incorporate mirrored plexiglass to represent color fields as seen in the human aura. I draw symbols from spiritual traditions as representative of the different walks of life. Textured fabrics from around the world synthesize cultural traditions. The current work includes freestanding sculptures, murals, mobiles and wall pieces. While working in my studio in 2004, the Lollypop Man, inspired by my work as a cranial-sacral therapist emerged. Cranial-sacral therapy works with the body’s cerebrospinal fluid, “The Fuel of the Soul,” as a means to helping the client to harmonize with the body’s natural rhythms. The Lollypop Man is a magical character that through his journeys begins to find the natural harmony and balance that Cranial-sacral therapy seeks to achieve. He travels the world with the innocence and honesty of a child. His primary focus is to seek truth. Through his purity of intention he becomes an example and a beam of light for others. His soul-searching experiences create a narrative that instructs and guides as well. He is ageless, mystical, one-eared and baldheaded. A mythical being, he does things that delight and entertain us. Like a chameleon he can change colors. He can change his body into different shapes. For example, he can be a stick that turns into a wheel and rolls down hills; he can extend his height and reach the clouds. Capable of teletransporting by wiggling his ear and visualizing a location, he can travel any distance in a matter of moments. His appeal crossing all age lines, offers enchantment and glee to children and to those who would be children. For the past five years, the Lollypop Man has been central to my work. He continues to tease by deconstructing our realities and creating alternatives that feed our emotions and spirit.