We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sharon Leshner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sharon below.

Sharon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

I’ve come to learn that in the practice of public art there is always some wildcard that gets thrown your way. It’s just a part of the game. Some of these issues get smoothed out with more experience… but something I’ve learned is that regardless of how much experience I have, I can count on expecting the unexpected. Beyond painting and project management, painting largescale murals requires a great deal of technical and structural know-how about buildings.

In 2022 I was working on a 100 ft. long mural and the wall was a pebbly texture, so for various reasons – I needed to find a material that we could create the mural on. After plenty of thoughtful email exchanges with some very experienced mentors, I decided on a material.

Moving these sheets to and fro was a nightmare! They were SO HEAVY. I had no idea there was another option until the installers came and told me that I could have gotten a sheet that was just a few centimeters thinner, and the sheets would have been significantly lighter. We ended up installing on a smoky summer day, and the whole effort was a stress fest – but we got it safely installed – and learned a ton.

I made sure to tell my colleagues about the few centimeters that ended up making a huge difference. This is why I think sharing information is so helpful amongst our community of peers – tiny little things can be amplified when you’re working at scale.

Sharon, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi I’m Sharon Leshner. My art name is Sharona Color. People call me both Sharona, Sharon, Sharoni and some other fun nicknames too. I am primarily a visual artist and I specialize in painting murals. I’ve been learning the trade over the past 8 years and have spent the past 4 building a community mural business called the Color Collaborative. We create largescale murals for municipalities, schools, and wellness spaces. Our work takes many shapes, but it’s always colorful!

In terms of projects that I’m excited about… Well gosh! The Color Collaborative just received funding to expand our Imagined Worlds Project!! Imagined Worlds is an art-therapy inspired mental health + mural initiative that asks participants “What would a made-up world look like where you would feel happy and safe?” The program was built with the help of multiple collaborators, and now we’re painting our first 1,500 sq. ft Imagined Worlds mural on the outside of a middle school. More to come! I’m excited to bring this project to healthcare spaces next, and create healing environments through color.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Absolutely trash the idea of starving artists. Goodbye. Artists are some of the most multi-talented, ambitious, and scrappy people. Artists have the same expenses as everyone else. I think we often lose out on financial success because of the idea that artists typically aren’t paid well. Often below decent pay is considered “good for an artist”.

What can we do to make it better? Hire artists, buy art, and figure out how to pay us as well as you’d pay any other experienced professional. We care, and we thrive when we have resources. We are not special, and we do not need to be categorized at a different financial level.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, I think the community element is the most rewarding. I work with an art collective called the “Art Band” and we have these fabulous art shares every so often. We talk in depth about our work, and share feedback and affirmations. This practice of social sharing with the same group over years has bolstered my personal work, and helped me connect deeply with that of my peers. Art Shares fill my cup right up.

Since I don’t have typical coworkers, and I like people – I go out of my way to nurture relationships with other creators – and as corny as it sounds… together we grow!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.colorcollaborative.org www.sharonacolor.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sharona_color

Image Credits
Photos by: Isabella Dellolio and Janie Chen