ABOUT
Sharl G. Smith is an artist based out of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Through a process called bead-stitching, she produces each piece by hand-stitching glass, metal or wood beads together, one bead at a time.
Sharl's art practice is informed by her architectural background and especially her training in a Zen Buddhist design/build firm in California which specialized in hand-crafted architecture through Japanese Joinery. Her time there has left a lasting impression on her and has instilled a deep reverence for craftsmanship, minimalism and the 'process as practice'.
“Sun Drops Studio” is Sharl's creative endeavour that seeks to explore the possibilities of this fascinating art form. She also finds the modular nature of the beads combined with her tension-based construction technique an appropriate medium to explore themes of social systems, nature and connection.
Media:
Globe and Mail - Style Advisor May 2023
CBC Kitchener-Waterloo - Region of Waterloo Arts Fund
Solo Exhibition 2022 - Homer Watson H&G
The Waterloo Record 2022
AGOInsider Article - Sharl G. Smith
BIO
Sharl was born and raised in Jamaica, W.I. She moved to New York City in 1998 to attend university where she obtained a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2003. Sharl continued to live in various parts of the US, working as a designer and architectural professional for 12 years before moving to Canada. She started Sun Drops Studio as a jewellery business and then pivoted to a full-time art practice in 2021 after the birth of her first child.
Sharl is grateful to have received support from the Canada Council For The Arts, the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund, Pat the Dog Theatre Creation, and the Ontario Arts Council.
