Sharon Beals

Biography

Photographer Sharon Beals was born in Seattle, Washington in 1945. Having served an apprenticeship in photography, Sharon moved to San Francisco in 1979 where she began her commercial photography career. It was during this time that her personal work became increasingly dominated by pictures of cats and dogs. Since her childhood, Sharon has always had a great affection for animals. The artist herself admits, ‘I am over the top over animals. In my next life I’ll have an ark.’ Sharon has also been greatly inspired by the book ‘Ernie’ by Tony Mendoza, which she claims gave photographers the ‘permission to make art out of photographing cats.’ In her own series of books which include ‘What Dogs Do’ and ‘What Cats Are,’ Sharon’s true artistic capability is displayed. The photographs delight in capturing the charming aspects of our beloved pets, in ways that everyone can relate to and appreciate.