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.
