Lasting Impressions
Fullingim’s sculptures pay tribute to legacies, environment
By Gwen Roath
Socorro - Sharon Fullingim’s work is a cornerstone of the fine art to be appreciated around Socorro.
In fact, one of her pieces (shown on our cover) stands directly in front of the art tent during the Festival of the Cranes.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Fullingim01.jpg align=left hspace=3>It is her limestone corn and bronze sandhills which gaze lov¬ingly over the land loved by biologist John Taylor for which the memorial sculpture is dedicated.
(For more on the photograph which graces this cover, please see story below.)
Sharon is a mainstay in the art scene of Socorro, being a native whose roots dig deep into the environs. A co-owner of Fullingim-Isenhour-Leard Galleries, she’s also an enthusiastic supporter of the Bosque del Apache and an avid birder.
A thorough understanding of anatomy sets her wildlife and figu¬rine sculptures apart from others as she recreates in realistic detail birds, animals and humans.
Liking (as she does) large pieces, many of her works are now public art: Her first commission was the larger–than-life 1% for the Arts sculpture “Past, Present, and the Future” on the NM Tech Campus.
Four traditional Pueblo figures adorn the courtyard at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort at Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. She has recently finished creating another bronze monument for Santa Ana Pueblo.
For Sharon, life is art and she has always created. For a time, etchings caught her fancy and her colored etchings still are popular.
She began sculpting about 10 years ago and found the medium much to her liking. “I see things better in three dimensions, my mind goes to shapes and forms.”
Her use of patinas on her bronzed pieces also is detailed, with layer after layer of different chemicals being applied, then buffed for the correct coloring. Of the John Taylor Memorial sculpture, Sharon writes she hopes they “are a hopeful symbol of his lasting dedication to the environment and education that John shared with the many people he touched.”
Once she began sculpting, it was probably inevitable that she should try her hand at stone carving. Now, her email quote is:
“Words! Pens are too light
Take a chisel to write”
– Basil Bunting 1900-1985
Among her recent efforts is the stunning memorial to Ryan Beaulieu (Sept. 21, 1987 – Aug. 27, 2005.) An enthusiastic birder, Ryan and his friend Raymond VanBuskirk pioneered the Rosyfinch banding and research program in the nearby Sandia Mountains.
After Ryan’s untimely death, Sharon, who had often birded with Ryan, was asked to design a memo¬rial for him.
“I knew right away what words I wanted to use,” she says, but for weeks she was frustrated at every turn.
“I tell you,” says Sharon, setting down her sculpting tool for empha¬sis. “I have never been a religious person although I’ve always felt there was someone” – she gestures over her shoulder – “bigger than I am behind me helping me out.
“But with this one….. Finally, I just said in my mind, “okay, Ryan, you have to help me out here.”
Almost immediately, the design began to unfold. At the memorial’s completion, Ryan’s mom said it was just as she had envisioned.
The memorial, part of a poem by Ryan, reads: “Listen. Can you hear? The Earth Speaks. All worries gone with these sounds. Every problem solved, every answer found. All it takes is time. Just Listen.”
To read the entire poem, written by Ryan, and to find out more about the Rosy Finch project and his work, visit
Sharon Fullingim’s work is collected throughout the United States and Europe. You can see more at the Fullingim-Isenhour-Leard Galleries, 113 C Abeyta Ave., Socorro or at www.figalleries.com (http://www.figalleries.com/). You can also visit with her during the Artists Reception at the Bosque Visitor Center on Oct. 14 from 1-4 pm.
Fullingim’s sculptures pay tribute to legacies, environment
By Gwen Roath
Socorro - Sharon Fullingim’s work is a cornerstone of the fine art to be appreciated around Socorro.
In fact, one of her pieces (shown on our cover) stands directly in front of the art tent during the Festival of the Cranes.
<img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/Fullingim01.jpg align=left hspace=3>It is her limestone corn and bronze sandhills which gaze lov¬ingly over the land loved by biologist John Taylor for which the memorial sculpture is dedicated.
(For more on the photograph which graces this cover, please see story below.)
Sharon is a mainstay in the art scene of Socorro, being a native whose roots dig deep into the environs. A co-owner of Fullingim-Isenhour-Leard Galleries, she’s also an enthusiastic supporter of the Bosque del Apache and an avid birder.
A thorough understanding of anatomy sets her wildlife and figu¬rine sculptures apart from others as she recreates in realistic detail birds, animals and humans.
Liking (as she does) large pieces, many of her works are now public art: Her first commission was the larger–than-life 1% for the Arts sculpture “Past, Present, and the Future” on the NM Tech Campus.
Four traditional Pueblo figures adorn the courtyard at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort at Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. She has recently finished creating another bronze monument for Santa Ana Pueblo.
For Sharon, life is art and she has always created. For a time, etchings caught her fancy and her colored etchings still are popular.
She began sculpting about 10 years ago and found the medium much to her liking. “I see things better in three dimensions, my mind goes to shapes and forms.”
Her use of patinas on her bronzed pieces also is detailed, with layer after layer of different chemicals being applied, then buffed for the correct coloring. Of the John Taylor Memorial sculpture, Sharon writes she hopes they “are a hopeful symbol of his lasting dedication to the environment and education that John shared with the many people he touched.”
Once she began sculpting, it was probably inevitable that she should try her hand at stone carving. Now, her email quote is:
“Words! Pens are too light
Take a chisel to write”
– Basil Bunting 1900-1985
Among her recent efforts is the stunning memorial to Ryan Beaulieu (Sept. 21, 1987 – Aug. 27, 2005.) An enthusiastic birder, Ryan and his friend Raymond VanBuskirk pioneered the Rosyfinch banding and research program in the nearby Sandia Mountains.
After Ryan’s untimely death, Sharon, who had often birded with Ryan, was asked to design a memo¬rial for him.
“I knew right away what words I wanted to use,” she says, but for weeks she was frustrated at every turn.
“I tell you,” says Sharon, setting down her sculpting tool for empha¬sis. “I have never been a religious person although I’ve always felt there was someone” – she gestures over her shoulder – “bigger than I am behind me helping me out.
“But with this one….. Finally, I just said in my mind, “okay, Ryan, you have to help me out here.”
Almost immediately, the design began to unfold. At the memorial’s completion, Ryan’s mom said it was just as she had envisioned.
The memorial, part of a poem by Ryan, reads: “Listen. Can you hear? The Earth Speaks. All worries gone with these sounds. Every problem solved, every answer found. All it takes is time. Just Listen.”
To read the entire poem, written by Ryan, and to find out more about the Rosy Finch project and his work, visit
www.rosyfinch.com/RyanBeaulieu.html (http://www.rosyfinch.com/RyanBeaulieu.html)
Sharon Fullingim’s work is collected throughout the United States and Europe. You can see more at the Fullingim-Isenhour-Leard Galleries, 113 C Abeyta Ave., Socorro or at www.figalleries.com (http://www.figalleries.com/). You can also visit with her during the Artists Reception at the Bosque Visitor Center on Oct. 14 from 1-4 pm.