Nichole Sharpe is a northwest stone sculptor whose work has captured the interest of private collectors and gallery curators alike.  Through both figurative and abstract works Nichole explores the dynamic relationship between the fluid beauty of the human form and our primordial connection with the rest of the natural world.  Nichole creates emotionally inspiring works of art that are both beautiful and compelling.  Often her finished sculptures call out to us to run our fingers lightly along their surfaces to prove that these captivating works of art are really made of stone; that something made of rock can feel soft and supple. 

Each of Nichole’s sculptures has a unique origin.  Some of her pieces begin with an idea, or design sketch leading to a search for just the right stone.  Other work of art start life when Nichole comes upon a stone that feels right, and she lets the stone and the moment take control of her carving.  Although, Nichole’s primary medium is stone, she is also drawn to the metamorphic stone-like qualities of fired clay.  She has created many ceramic works of art, and is starting to explore clay as a foundation for her bronze sculptures as well.  Whatever the process or the medium the result is an artistic alchemy; she transforms minerals into expressions of life and emotion.  

Nichole was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in California.  She comes from an artistic family.  Her mother was a political cartoonist, and also worked as an artist in pastels and oils.  Her brother is a well known woodworking artist living in Oregon.  Nichole migrated to the Pacific Northwest in 1975. She has kept busy over the years raising her son, completing her graduate degree, and attending to her professional obligations as an education consultant.  Through the years Nichole has always turned to the arts and art making as a way of grounding her life and stimulating creative energies.  As a child she used dance as a means of self-expression.  It was in her teens that Nichole began to explore the visual arts, first clay hand building, then later sketching, papermaking, clay sculpting and stone sculpting.  In January 2003 Nichole began working as an artist full time.  She currently lives in Seattle, Washington where she works in her recently completed studio.