artist spotlight

An Eye for Nature

Area photographer’s images tell a story

An owl with purple feathers. A wolf with electric lines of neon lights running through its coat. A cat whose fur blends into the background of the image. Sharon McConnell’s digital art prints make you look at nature through a different lens.

McConnell has appreciated nature’s little details, colors, textures and intricate patterns since she was young. The fine art and nature photographer believes that fine art and photography go hand in hand. She believes that we can all find common ground through this art form.

“It could remind you of a place you’ve visited, a favorite encounter or fragrance,” she says. “Perhaps it stirs a memory of a loved one, or a special day or maybe it just makes you feel happy.”

She uses skillful editing and photo manipulation to add dreamy, nostalgic

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and painterly qualities to her photos. In fact, her works can be mistaken for traditional hand-painted pieces.

“I like learning new things,” says McConnell. “I mainly use Photoshop and like doing composite work most of all.”

She was scheduled to do an art show in Pickerington in March 2020, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. However, she’s received a positive response from the Pickerington community through social media outreach. Her artwork is currently on display at 5 Bean Coffee in Reynoldsburg and at Sticks & Stones Studio in Canal Winchester.

Before her photography career, McConnell worked in the corporate world for more than 30 years as the HR division manager for Kubota, a construction equipment company. She started doing photography full time about 10 years ago.

“I always loved photography but didn’t really have much time to devote to it. So, six years ago I retired early and since then have started to expand more on what I do and launched the website to start selling my art,” says McConnell. “It was quite a change for me. But I’ve always been very creative and I’m very happy to be out of the corporate world. I love my photography.”

Recognizing the beauty in every aspect of nature, McConnell enjoys using photo editing and composite work to bring out the finer details, textures and colors she sees around her. She creates her own backgrounds and draws inspiration from artists from the Renaissance era to present day.

“Being completely self-taught, I’m always open to trying new things with different lenses. I really like the warmth and textures of the old masters, but I also like the delicate pastels of watercolors,” McConnell says. “Sometimes I’ll try to bring out that softer side, but I love creating new things and bringing out God’s beauty in all the outsides.”