A concise look at Sharon Matusiak’s work, process, and themes: ethereal landscapes and figures that balance abstraction and figuration, address ecological interdependence, and incorporate mythology and current events.
Matusiak combines abstraction and figurative imagery to create dreamlike narratives that examine freedom, restraint, and ecological interdependence.
She draws on long-term nature experience—35 years living in a Southern Illinois woodland setting—for recurring animal and plant motifs.
Her process mixes oil, acrylic, gessoed wood, and drawing materials (charcoal, conte crayon, graphite) to build texture and layered meaning.
Matusiak cites long immersion in a woodland environment—35 years in Southern Illinois—as a primary source of inspiration. Daily encounters with tree frogs, lizards, pollinators, raptors, river otters, and coyotes feed the imagery in her work and reinforce an ecological perspective. She is an avowed believer in the GAIA Theory and frames her art around interdependence: the loss of one element can trigger broader ecosystem collapse.
Matusiak works in oil and acrylic across supports that include gessoed wood panel and canvas. She often integrates drawing materials—charcoal, conte crayon, and graphite—with paint. That combination creates rich textures and layered depths that support the tension and storytelling in each piece. Notable works and formats mentioned include:
These examples show her comfort with both rectangular and circular formats and with mixing media to articulate narrative and texture.
Matusiak connects her early studies in ballet and piano to the sense of rhythm and movement she aims to convey visually. She recommends that young artists study broadly—science, philosophy, comparative religion, history—citing her own college studies as influential to her thematic depth. She describes art as a therapeutic practice that helped her learn about herself while processing emotional wounds.
The paintings are constructed to provoke contemplation: sweeping color fields and flowing lines invite visual movement while symbolic figures and animals ground the compositions in story. The tension between vivid color and narrative elements creates space for social commentary without sacrificing the sensory impact of the imagery.
Follow Sharon Matusiak on Instagram to see current work and studio updates.
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