I’m sharon mcDaniel. i hope that you’ll enjoy my colorful, expressionistic art!

As a child, like most artists, I always loved to draw, color and paint. When I started school, art was my favorite subject. and by high school, I was completely hooked! I realized just how much I it, and found myself painting all the time.

Through the years, I’ve painted sporadically, most often using acrylic mediums on traditional stretched canvases and panels. When I reached my mid-60’s, I discovered my first handcrafted “Tarahumara” primitive drum.

The Tarahumara, or Rarámuri (meaning “light-footed ones”), are and Indigenous Group of about 50,000 to 70,000 people living in the rugged canyons and highlands of the sierra madre occidental in Chihuahua, Mexico. They are globally renowned for their semi-nomadic farming lifestyle, unique spiritual beliefs, and superhuman long-distance endurance running capabilities. (Google) 

“Black Crow Sojourn” was the first painting I created on a Tarahumara goat hide drum. To finish it, I added multicolor cord, leather, feathers, and beads. That first drum truly ignited something in me — I’ve since painted and sold more than 50 drums of various sizes!

Today, my favorite canvas continues to be rawhide — drums, drumsticks, rattles, leather medicine bags, and more. I now frequently craft my own drums, drumsticks, rattles, and leather medicine bags as well. I paint a lot of expressive, colorful, whimsical art, but I also love the challenge of painting animals. Southwestern and Native American designs have become another beloved subject; after 40+ years in the desert, I’ve come to find it a place of quiet beauty.

I also love teaching and encouraging others. Nothing lights me up quite like seeing the spark in an Art Maker’s eyes — that moment when they feel accomplished, proud, even amazed — as they hold up their finished piece.