“SharonSSongS: The Ballads of 81 Years”
Art by Sharon Mohler

August 1st – 31st
Virtual Reception: August 20th 7-8 pm

Sharon Mohler sculpts tiny scenes representative of or inspired by her life. Each scene, brimming with her humorous and loving take on the world, tells one or more stories. She describes the details in each one in this video tour. The virtual reception will be on on Friday, August 20 at 7 PM on the Yellow Springs Arts Council Facebook page.

Mohler has always been a maker, creatively using whatever she finds at hand, from cardboard to fabric to paint to wire. If there’s something she doesn’t know how to do, she figures out a way to teach herself. She is living proof that, as she says, “The artist is a problem solver.” As a result, she created techniques that are original to her and make her art uniquely recognizable.

The first time Mohler saw polymer clay, she was transfixed. Colorful clay which could be fired in a home oven opened up a new world of possibility for the kind of art Mohler wanted to make. She began creating these scenes 40 years ago, using four ingredients: polymer clay, wire, acrylic paint and her imagination. They were simpler at first, when money for materials was tight, and became bigger and more elaborate as time passed. She calls them The Ballads of 81 Years because, “my pieces tell the same stories that sung ballads would if I were a better musician.” The miniature works are created at just over 1/12 scale, the size commonly used for dollhouses.

For Mohler, life has been full of obstacles to overcome, from growing up in a home without electricity, to being a single mom of four small children in a time when men were the main breadwinners and women belonged at home. Odd jobs and art shows, a healthy helping of laughter and tenacity, and the creative outlet of making art saw her through these hard times. And luckily for us, she’s not done sculpting her ballads yet.

The YSAC gallery is open again for events. Mohler chose to present her work in video format rather than in person, so she can walk each visitor through the various dimensions of her work. At the reception, we will watch the videos with Mohler, and end with a Q&A session.