Sharon Stone's rebirth as an abstract painter has already earned her a better reception than most who attempt the actor-to-artist transition. A big reason why she's being taken seriously as an artist is because she takes her art seriously. It's palpable that she's committed to challenging herself in the exhibition, "Welcome to My Garden," now on view at C. Parker Gallery in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Compared to the paintings she showed earlier this year in her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, the 19 new works in this East Coast show suggest a more developed language with greater depth and discipline. Still the strength of the work might not be the only explanation for why Stone, 65, is being treated so fairly. Jerry Saltz's cosign certainly hasn't hurt-the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic (and ham) has done two public convos with Stone, one on each coast. But Stone's work is also debuting at a moment when the market is hot for women abstract painters-Jacqueline Humphries and Lucy Bull being two examples of artists riding the cresting wave.
