Joan K. Sharma
Artist Statement
Photography offers me the opportunity to explore, contemplate and frame my response to the world around me. The instantaneous action of releasing the shutter enables me to continue the creative process when there is no time or space for sketching and painting. The contemplative aspect occurs during the selecting, editing, proofing and printings of digital files. The most recent photographs were taken during a tour of Northern India that I co-directed during winter 2006-07 and trip in May/June to Southern India. The ?Art and Culture of Northern India Study Tour ?was the first ?for credit? program offered to students and community members through the Department of Art and Design, College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State. The tour was co-sponsored by the Office of Continuing and Global Education and the Fresno Art Museum. I am grateful for their support.
My work has appeared throughout the United States and internationally in numerous individual, juried and group exhibitions and is in private and public collections. In addition to my work as a painter I am also a photographer.
I received a Master's degree in Painting from Indiana University, Bloomington and a BFA degree in Painting from Temple University's, Tyler School of Art. I have traveled and lived in Europe and India. These experiences have expanded and enriched my understanding of the interconnectedness of our global community. I am an associate professor in the Department of Art and Design at California State University, Fresno, where I teach a variety of courses including 2D and 3D design, interaction of color and photography.
