Sedona Arts Center Artist

Sharon Gilham

I create mixed media work using vintage paper, found objects, and discarded materials. My process is rooted in reclaiming what’s been forgotten and giving it new life. Through collage, assemblage, and handmade journals, I explore themes of memory, time, and resilience. I’m interested in how worn materials can still carry meaning, and how imperfection can be a form of beauty. Each piece reflects a balance between careful construction and intuitive decision-making.

A lifelong collector of overlooked things, Sharon taught herself to make art the same way she lives: by feeling her way through it. As an emerging artist, she’s drawn to themes of transformation, memory, and the quiet chaos of becoming. Her work is shaped by personal history, Midwestern garage sale Saturdays, and a deep appreciation for things that still carry weight, even after they’ve been cast aside.

About the artist

Biography

Sharon Gilham is a mixed media artist based in Denver, Colorado. Her work is characterized by layered compositions that incorporate vintage paper, found objects, and discarded materials. A self-taught artist, she works across collage, assemblage, handmade jewelry, and artist journals, with a process that is both intuitive and deliberate.

Sharon’s practice centers on the belief that materials hold memory. She seeks to reclaim and repurpose forgotten items; old photographs, fabric remnants, bits of metal and paper—to explore themes of time, transformation, and resilience. Through layering and contrast, she creates pieces that reflect the tension between permanence and decay, history and reinterpretation.

Her journals are constructed with original watercolor covers, mixed media collage, or salvaged vintage book covers. Each is lined with fabric and filled with a curated mix of vintage and hand-altered papers. Her journals range from traveler’s journals to junk journals. Her jewelry incorporates hand-painted papers, natural stones, and found components, continuing her commitment to materials with a past.

In 2025, Sharon’s work was included in the Big Gay Art Show at the Sedona Arts Center. She is developing her creative practice under the name Simple Chaos Studios, with a focus on building a cohesive body of work that honors the past while creating space for new narratives.

Available work