Melding her passion for photography with her love of animals, Sharon Montrose’s definitive photographic style made her one of the most sought-after commercial photographers specializing in animals for over a decade. In addition to eleven published photography books to her credit, Sharon has worked for some of the world’s foremost pet industry brands. Her animal series photographs are part of numerous public and private collections, including The Sir Elton John Photography Collection and have been awarded recognition by Communication Arts, Photo District News, The Art of Photography, Hey, Hot Shot!, and the International Photography Awards. Sharon is the owner/founder of the beloved brand, The Animal Print Shop.

While photography is Sharon’s first passion, part of the process was lost in the transition from film to digital – finding clay provided her a much needed way back to a slower moving creative process: 

After emerging from a personal tragedy in 2016, Sharon’s husband scooped her off the couch and enrolled her in an “intro to wheel throwing” pottery class at a nearby studio. She was instantly obsessed with clay and it’s humbling and therapeutic nature and she hasn’t looked back since, immersing herself in all aspects of ceramics from glaze formulation to firing. Mostly wheel thrown, Sharon’s work is inspired by her Southern California roots and Studio Pottery of the 70’s. She works in small batches at her Los Angeles studio and fires in a reduction atmosphere to Cone 10 in her gas kiln, which produces the variation, depth, and subtle imperfections that make handmade ceramics special.