Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Sharon Wagner - Illustrator

SHARON WAGNER - ILLUSTRATOR

In 2009 the MNSCBWI chose Sharon Wagner’s illustration for the Hope Card Project. Each SCBWI chapter donated a poem and illustration to benefit the school children in Australia hurt by the fires there. She won the 2009 SCBWI mentorship award with successful illustrator Carrie Hartman. Her illustration Red Wings Over Red Wing is on display at the Depot gallery in Red Wing until November 22, 2009, along with many other CBIG (Children's Book Illustrator's Guild) members. And, she is working on a headshot for Beth for her character Belly LaGossa, a mischievous dog of questionable heritage that sees ghosts!
Sharon’s artwork is also featured in the October issue of My Light Magazine (God Blesses All Creatures— October issue of http://www.mylightmagazine.com/)

BIOGRAPHY
Sharon Wagner graduated from UWSTOUT in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. But it wasn't until she started work as a flight attendant for Mesaba Airlines that she started to take her painting seriously. She began by taking suitcase sized paper and a watercolor set along on her layovers. To this day she still uses that medium. But at the time it was out of necessity. The paper was light weight and the watercolor/gouache dried fast.
Until 2007, she sold her creations at local art fairs, galleries and shops including the Edina Art Fair, the Stockholm Art Fair, Edina's Fall into the Art’s Festival, and the Edina Art Center. When customers started inquiring about children's books, the light bulb went on. That seemed a perfect fit for her whimsical style. She joined the SCBWI and has been pursuing freelance illustration ever since. Sharon currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband Dean and two cats, Hana and Acua. If you read her blog you will discover her other passion—Travel and Photography.