Sharon Loehr Lapan
Sharon Loehr-Lapan grew up on Washington Mountain Road in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. There, her father’s family owned a small dairy farm and grew apple trees as a reminder of their German roots. When she was young, her grandfather would read wonderful fairy tales to her. Her father took her exploring the brooks, fields and forests of the farm. Upon adulthood, Sharon began traveling the country, studied art along with special education in college and has taught in many parts of the country including Utah, Delaware, and Missouri.
She began using the creativity of her youth in her career. The themes of wonder about the world and curiosity toward new things served her well as a teacher. She never met a problem (even Algebra or writer’s block) that couldn’t be solved with a bit of imagination or shared drawing.
She has loved the many places she’s lived and found herself amazed by the different colors each landscape held. She now has the opportunity to come back to the part of the country she started in, and pursue the art that started her journey.
“When I returned to Massachusetts, the place I had grown up in, the colors appeared brand new to me. The land was filled with deep greens and grays. The winter held grays and purples against the crisp white of the snow and ancient farmhouses. I never forgot the lessons of exploration and the joy of creating that I learned in my youth.”