Sharon Wells - Gingerbread Biographies

Sharon Wells, a Key West artist and historian, began photographing Key West’s landmark architecture in 1976. She opened Key West Light Gallery in 2002. Located on Upper Duval Street, Key West Light Gallery showcases Wells’ brilliant color photographs, Fauvist-inspired paintings and unique ceramic tiles with images of Key West houses, palms, botanicals, and dozens of her unique visions now captured for display.

Wells’ paintings are inspired by the architecture and environment of the Florida Keys and Key West. Her evocative photographs capture images from Key West and extensive travels to Latin & South America, Europe, and American cities that call to her.

Wells, a self -taught painter & photographer has extensively documented Key West since 1976 in both mediums of color and black/white. She counts her primary artistic influences as painters Milton Avery, Helen Frankenthaler, the Fauvists, and photographers Manuel Bravo, Helen Levitt and Walker Evans.

Wells’ canvases are focused on color, texture and her vision inspired by the island. She works primarily with acrylics, but often uses oils or watercolors. Her acrylic paintings of Key West Houses have provided the cover artwork on Sharon Wells’ Walking & Biking Guide to Historic Key West for 15 years. Sharon’s photographs, paintings, prints and posters are in numerous collections in the U.S. and Europe.

Her new Key West Gallery inaugurated in 2002 also features fine arts, giclee prints, original paintings, historic archival images, and Key West posters and books.

Born in Arizona and educated in California, Illinois, Tokyo, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawaii, Wells graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in history and political science.