July 22, 2025 • 40 mins
On this episode of Boulevard Beat, hosts Meghan Blum and Krissa Rossbund sit down with artist and creative powerhouse Sharon Lee Clark. Known for her soulful use of color and cultural storytelling, Sharon shares how her Korean heritage, California upbringing, and artistic lineage have shaped her distinct point of view.
From growing up in a nature-filled enclave of La Cañada to being surrounded by the vibrant work of her mother—an acclaimed Korean folk artist—Sharon opens up about what it means to straddle two cultures and translate that experience into her art. This episode is a beautiful reminder of how personal history and environment can deeply influence creative expression.
Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply someone who loves meaningful stories, this conversation will leave you inspired by the power of identity, memory, and aesthetic intuition.
5 Key Takeaways:A Childhood Surrounded by Beauty
Sharon grew up in La Cañada, California—nestled between mountains and the city—where nature, light, and color left a lasting impression on her creative spirit.
Heritage as a Creative Anchor
Sharon’s Korean background, including her bilingual upbringing and cultural traditions, is at the heart of her artistic perspective.
Influence of Family Legacy
Her mother’s legacy as an accredited Korean folk artist played a major role in shaping Sharon’s early exposure to art, tradition, and visual storytelling.
Transforming Insecurity into Identity
As a child, Sharon sometimes felt “different” because of her heritage—but she now sees those experiences as formative strengths in developing her unique aesthetic and voice.
Bridging Tradition and Modernity
Sharon’s work beautifully melds historical motifs with contemporary form, proving that honoring the past can yield some of the most modern and moving art.
https://www.kranehome.com/
IG: @sharonLeeclark
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15!
Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15!
Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
From growing up in a nature-filled enclave of La Cañada to being surrounded by the vibrant work of her mother—an acclaimed Korean folk artist—Sharon opens up about what it means to straddle two cultures and translate that experience into her art. This episode is a beautiful reminder of how personal history and environment can deeply influence creative expression.
Whether you're a designer, collector, or simply someone who loves meaningful stories, this conversation will leave you inspired by the power of identity, memory, and aesthetic intuition.
5 Key Takeaways:A Childhood Surrounded by Beauty
Sharon grew up in La Cañada, California—nestled between mountains and the city—where nature, light, and color left a lasting impression on her creative spirit.
Heritage as a Creative Anchor
Sharon’s Korean background, including her bilingual upbringing and cultural traditions, is at the heart of her artistic perspective.
Influence of Family Legacy
Her mother’s legacy as an accredited Korean folk artist played a major role in shaping Sharon’s early exposure to art, tradition, and visual storytelling.
Transforming Insecurity into Identity
As a child, Sharon sometimes felt “different” because of her heritage—but she now sees those experiences as formative strengths in developing her unique aesthetic and voice.
Bridging Tradition and Modernity
Sharon’s work beautifully melds historical motifs with contemporary form, proving that honoring the past can yield some of the most modern and moving art.
https://www.kranehome.com/
IG: @sharonLeeclark
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15!
Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Save 15% site wide at www.houseofblum.com with promo code beat15!
Or you can use this link- https://houseofblum.com/discount/beat15!
Connect with the Hosts https://www.instagram.com/boulevardbeatpodcast/
Connect with Meghan Blum Interiors https://www.instagram.com/meghanbluminteriors/
Connect with House of Blum https://www.instagram.com/shophouseofblum/
Connect with Krissa Rossbund. https://www.instagram.com/krissa_rossbund/
Connect with Liz Lidgett https://www.instagram.com/lizlidgett/
Episode Website https://www.blvdbeat.com/about
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Boulevard Beat, a podcast where life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom along with my co hosts, editor CHRISA.
Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast focuses on
the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with taste makers,
and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style you
constrol one street at a time, Boulevard Beat proves the
(00:30):
one you should take today. On Boulevard Beat, we're thrilled
to welcome the incredibly talented Sharon Lee Clark. Sharon is
a visual artist whose work beautifully leaves together color, culture,
and story. Raised in California with the deep Korean roots,
Sharon draws inspiration from both her heritage and her surroundings,
(00:51):
creating pieces that feel it once personal, soulful, and universally compelling.
I've long admired her ability to blend tradition with modern expression,
and you'll hear just how intentional and passionate she is
about her art and identity. Welcome Sharon, Thank you so
much for having me. I'm so excited to be here
with y'all.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So we like to start each episode of Boulevard beat
by having each of our guests tell us about.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
The street where they grew up.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Tell us your story.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
I grew up on Green Branche Drive in Lacaanata, California,
and it was actually a really idyllic street in childhood.
There was a lot of nature actually because it was
right outside of Pasadena and I guess near the Rose Bowl,
but there is a golf course that the street wrapped around,
(01:37):
so there was a lot of nature. We would see deer, even,
you know, one time a mountain lion, which is kind
of scary, and all kinds of birds, and one time
our dog got sprayed by skunk. And it was just
the most beautiful place. And yeah, I mean California. I
just love it so much. The light, the birds, and
(01:59):
you can kind of at once be in nature but
also be near the city, which was really a unique
experience growing up. And being able to drive an hour
to get to the snow too, you know, going up
Angelus Crest and then also being able to drive just
a little bit to get to the beach really informed
I guess, like my esthetic for color and my love
(02:20):
of nature and everything around me growing up. I mean,
it was it was a really beautiful place to grow up.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, California has its fair share of beauty for sure,
and seventy six and sunny on most days doesn't hurt either.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
That's right, Sharon.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
You grew up on a street here in the United States.
But we know that you tap into your Korean heritage
quite a bit to inform your artistry. What's it like
to use that heritage as your springboard versus other forms
of inspiration?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
What does that mean to you?
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I have a really unique perspective growing up with Korean
immigrant parents who moved here when they were about twenty
three and twenty five, and they moved just after they
got married on Chedju Island and they had their wedding
and they moved to La. Actually, my paternal grandfather invited
(03:11):
them to come to Los Angeles and so he was
already out there. They started their lives. They moved around
a little bit, but ended up back in La which
is all that I remember.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Really.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
It was a really unique experience because, yes, my sister's
first language was Korean. Mine was both simultaneously English and Korean,
and I do speak Korean.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
So it was a really huge.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Part of my life growing up, you know, eating the food,
watching my mom, you know, painting on the dining room table,
growing up, the fact that she was so entrenched in
the culture herself. She's an accredited Korean folk art painter,
so she has shown her work in Korea. It's absolutely magnificent.
(03:59):
We have pieces of hers as heirlooms in our family
that will never sell or get rid of. And yeah,
I've just really grown up watching her teach us and
show us the beauty of Korean culture and Korean art
and in every aspect of life. And that has been
a huge influence on me. And I guess I could
(04:19):
say it was a little bit mixed of a reaction
when I was younger, because growing up Korean American, you know,
you do look different than some of the other kids,
and you know, your lunch smells funny, and people ask
you questions and they would come over and they'd be like,
it looked and smell different than some other American families homes.
(04:40):
And I started recognizing that there was this huge difference,
and I actually had a phase where I was embarrassed
of it. But I learned to really turn that around
and create something in basically in my personality and in
who I am and what I do that was entirely
unique and set me apart. So every step of the
(05:01):
way my art practice has been about my Korean heritage
and bringing that really to the limelight. And because of that,
I really feel like it helped me create this foothold
in the design industry but also in the art world.
And to this day, I think I'm pretty much one
(05:21):
of the only artists that is, you know, using Korean
art as the main basis of my work. And you know,
it was a huge honor last year that we got
named number one Asian American owned home decre brand in
the US, so that was really really cool. And yeah,
it's just been, you know, rewarding over and over and
(05:45):
it's just become this huge blessing in my life. And
I would never ever change a thing about my childhood
and about my heritage. It's the greatest thing about me.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
We agree, how it's manifested into the adult share and
is fabulous. So with that and congratulations on that on
that honor.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Thank you, Sharon.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
It's so fascinating and really wonderful how you just really
hung onto your history and how it has shaped you
as an artist and as you've changed and evolved in your.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Creative world as well.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yours is inherent how it's been passed down through your family.
Give us your background on how you found your spot
in the interiors world.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
This is a little bit unique, I guess for a
Korean American household. But because my grandfather was an artist
and my mother is an artist, my family really, I guess,
encouraged me to pursue fine art from a young age.
So they sent me out to a lot of art
competitions and I would go to these summer programs all
(06:43):
over I even went to Oxford in the UK, and
I went to study at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago and also at Pasadena Art Center. And
I just really had this path laid out in front
of me, and the goal was to go to a
prestigious art school for college, which.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I did do.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
I went to UCLA Art School, and that was so
amazing to me that I even got in. And it
was such a cool experience. I learned so much just
about the different avenues that you can go into as
an artist, and it was a huge education for me.
And you know, I also learned what I didn't want
to do, you know, I felt like while I was
(07:26):
in college and after I ended up as an art
gallery associate director. After that, I just saw a lot
of art all around me that was not exactly aesthetic,
and I knew that in my heart. I just am
such an aesthetically driven person from a young girl, and
(07:47):
I was always the one and very entrepreneurial. Actually, I
was always making things and trying to convince everyone around
me to buy it. That that hasn't really changed a lot,
but I guess I was fighting the the straight art
career by saying, you know what.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I am a businesswoman too.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
I want to show everyone that I can make money
doing this and that I'm smart and I can go
back to school and get my master's in something and
then put it all together and go in some direction.
I don't know what it is. And I ended up
pursuing first set design, which was really calling my name
for some reason. You know, I was in LA and
(08:26):
I just love art photography. I studied under Kathy Opie
at UCLA, and I loved this idea of creating a
set to be able to take photos in. And you know,
actually going back in college, one of my favorite series
that I did was an art photography series called Dollhouse,
(08:47):
and I used a four x five large format camera
with film and I would create these elaborate settings in
urban gardens, and one of the first was actually in
our own backyard and I would put furniture up in
the hillside and then my family and friends would get
dressed up in Korean huntbook and pose in the landscape.
(09:11):
And I also did it at the Hannah Carter Japanese Museum,
got permission to do it there. I did it in
a bunch of other different little kind of shangri law
like urban gardens around LA and it was such a
fun project and I fell in love with, like I said,
creating these I don't know allegorical sets from my mind.
(09:33):
And so I really thought, you know what, set design
could be the answer to making it more of a
concrete career. So I ended up going back to school
to study some of the different programs that you needed
to create these sets, you know, in virtual reality. So
I went back to UCLA Extension to study those, and
(09:54):
slowly but surely I was like, no, I don't want
to be an interior designer, but the class has really
kept calling and pulling me in, you know, and so
I just continued and continued and ended up getting my
Masters of Interior Architecture surprisingly enough, and from there I
was like, you know what, maybe interior design is my calling,
you know, maybe that's how I bring everything together. And
(10:16):
I ended up eventually at the offices of Michael Smith
during the era when we were working on the White
House for the Obamas, and that was a huge training
ground for me. It was almost like the working there
was a bit of a I want to say, slap
in the face where I was like, Wow, this isn't
exactly the life that I was meant to live. I'm
(10:40):
you know, I'm an artist through and through. I'm not
project management isn't necessarily my calling in life. And so
most people listening to your podcast will know that the
interior design industry is so rigorous in project management and
a lot of the things that anyone who loves interiors
starting an interior design firm or work looking intoior design
(11:01):
is definitely not for the week, you know, It's got
a lot of other things that go with it that
for me, it just really wasn't a personality fit. At
the end of the day and at night, I was
still working on my paintings, and I was still sketching,
and I was always coming up with ideas and have
little projects on the side, and I just thought one day,
(11:21):
I was like, you know what, this isn't my life.
I need to leave my goals and pursue art full time.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Like it's time.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I've avoided it, I've avoided what.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
My family wanted me to do for this many years,
and now I just need to put my artists beret
on and just go forward in the path that was
meant for me. So that's what I did, And that
was in the year twenty twelve. And my little rebellion
that I did actually was I said, you know what,
I'm not just going to be the artist in the
(11:52):
basement talking to no one, just making art and relying
on a gallery to sell my art. Too social, and honestly,
I'm much too cute for that. I just I love fashion,
I love people. I love you know, meeting women. It's
my favorite thing. So I have both sides to my
personality as a Gemini. So I really said, Okay, my
(12:14):
rebellion is I'm going to make a product out of
my art as well at the same time, which is
where the wallpaper happened.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
I love that. It's so fun hearing your history and
how you became your company of who you are today.
That's really fascinating. And you know, really, I think ultimately
you've been following your intuition all along and just kind
of taking that right next step and what that looks
like and how you make the next move, which we
all know. In recent years, you made a location move
to Dallas from California. What's that been like and has
(12:43):
a change in scenery transformed your artwork and aesthetic?
Speaker 4 (12:46):
First off, I just need to say a huge thank
you to the city of Dallas and to the city
of University Park where we live, and to all my
friends who adopted me and brought me into their circles.
I mean, I would not be where I am without
our community and all of our amazing family and friends,
our church, everything. It's absolutely incredible the personal transformation that
(13:11):
has occurred for our family over the past four years too.
I think we were just really searching and yearning for
more of a neighborhood, more of a community in la
and I think we were really missing that in Santa Monica.
You know, it's a beautiful place there, but we just
envisioned something different for our lives, and Max and I
have always had even though we both grew up in La,
(13:32):
we have always had almost an odd oddly enough like
a southern flare to our personalities.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
The one critique about me in La was that I'm
overly friendly and people found it like off putting, and
here that's obviously not a problem. My husband and I
and our kids are just we could not be happier
with our situation and definitely for my company. I mean,
as you know, Dallas is experiencing a huge boom. There's
(14:03):
so many people moving here from all parts of the
world and coming together, and so many female entrepreneurs. You know,
almost every other woman you meet has a company or
is doing something fabulous, creative, incredible, and I just love
connecting with them and figuring out how we can do
(14:24):
something together or collaborate. And ever since moving here, it's
honestly been crazy. I've probably collaborated with I can't even
count how many women in a meaningful way, and to me,
that's everything. You can just work on your own in
a bubble, and it just wouldn't be as interesting, the
conversation wouldn't be as flowery and amazing as it is
(14:46):
in my life right now between me and a lot
of my female friends who are founders as well, and
we're doing some really fun stuff. And it's so wonderful
when you can have fun while you're running a company
as well. I mean, there's so many difficult things and
challenging things day to day that why not feel like,
(15:08):
you know, you're doing it with your girlfriends and you're
having a great time and having a blast and it
doesn't feel like work at all. So that's that's really
my secret. And Dallas has really been a huge step
forward for me with my company, and ever since moving here,
my company has grown exponentially. So I'm really really proud
(15:30):
of that and extremely honored to be here in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Dallas is such a social community anyway, and I think
what you just said is so interesting that so many
women do have their own little entrepreneurial projects going on
their businesses, and so it's fun to be able to
brainstorm with other people when it comes to marketing or
business operations or new product development, new business development. That
(15:57):
definitely has shifted versus before when people worked for somebody
else in varying industries and maybe it didn't that sort
of brainstorming and networking maybe didn't apply in the same way.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Well, and ultimately, women truly do want other creatives to
be successful. So it's fun when you can be each
other's cheerleaders and collaborate. I think you hit that right
on the head. What collaboration is key, and that's what
makes the process and the everyday life fun and exciting.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Absolutely, I really just have gotten to the point in
my life I turned forty, I don't want to do
anything alone anymore. I don't ever want to throw another
event or do anything or launch anything alone. I want
to do it with someone else, with a friend who
is inspiring me in ways that I would have never
(16:47):
stretched or imagined, and vice versa, right, because we all
have such different backgrounds and talents and personalities that I
really truly feel like for the first time of my life,
like I always felt like you know, when you say
like okay women women supporting women like together were stronger.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
I always thought those were just catch phrases.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
I mean truly, like in LA I didn't really understand
how to put action behind those phrases. But the minute
I moved here, it really has come so it's become
so clear to me, like the path forward, right, and
it's just really exciting because the sky is the limit
and I can just keep going and going and going.
(17:31):
And I'm so fulfilled right now in my career and
in my life in every aspect. And it's I'm really
proud to say that, you know, because there have been
times in the past that have been extremely hard. And
obviously any business, interiors related or art related, is going
to be very tough. There's very very intense competition. There's
(17:57):
so much that changes about, you know, the way that
we conduct business in these industries, and it's very quite
complex and difficult to navigate for me at this point.
I mean, I don't know if it makes me a
veteran in any way that I started. I guess It's
been what twelve years since I started my company, but
(18:19):
I still feel like some days where I'm reinventing myself.
For instance, like we have two hundred art prints on
the website right now, with all the different options and
bells and whistles on the website.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
I mean that was just recent that.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Just launched, i mean this year, so it's really incredible,
Like all of the different avenues and niches that you
can get into. It's really endless the possibilities, but also
yes that the business is challenging to keep you know,
relevant and to keep clients coming back to shop with you,
and they have a million and one options. And so
(18:58):
I'm truly grateful for every single client, every single designer
who has specified my work. It means, it means the
world to me, It means more than they probably know.
And every single art piece that ends up in another
home is just another time that I'm able to introduce
(19:18):
Korean art and Korean culture to another family. And that,
to me, was the entire mission of why I started this.
When I was working at Michael Smith, the reason why
I quit to pursue what I'm doing is because, specifically
because while I was working there, there was not a
single Korean inspired wallpaper, fabric, art piece anything the entire
(19:41):
time I was working there, And I said to myself,
this is such a shame, because I know how beautiful
Korean art is because I grew up with it, and
I just felt like I could be the one to
share that with everyone, and I feel like I have.
I mean, obviously, there's so much more to be done
in my business, and I have really really scary, lofty
(20:02):
goal for myself every day, which is why I probably
suffer from a level of anxiety.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
But it's really exciting.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
And I think more and more people are getting more
familiarized with the story of Korean art and the history
behind it, which makes me so so, so so fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Sharon, I love to hear that you just went for
it and to bring that Korean art into the world
because it was missing and you saw that lack. You know,
you talked quite a bit about bringing some of your
product into more of the masses, into the commercial level.
Obviously that differs quite a bit from your more fine
art business. How do you keep them separate?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
That's the million dollar question.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
It is so hard to keep them separate, and honestly,
I don't. It's just all one big company. And my
original art pieces that are essentially ninety percent of them
are done by commission at this point because I love
working with clients on original art. It's one of my
passions to, you know, work specifically with a designer or
(21:06):
a family and talk about from the beginning, Okay, where.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Is this piece going to hang? What about the family?
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Can they tell me that is important to them and
their lineage and their story. How many children do they have,
what are their likes and dislikes? Is there a specific
animal that's important to them? For instance, there was a family,
and I love telling the story. They had just gotten
engaged and they bought a house and they wanted me
(21:33):
to paint a painting for their front living room. And
I said, Okay, let me come over and talk with
you and figure out what size we need, but also
kind of get a feel for what we're thinking for this.
And they had contacted me because specifically they wanted a
piece of the bould or flat iron mountains in Colorado
(21:53):
because they met at school there. So they said to me, okay, Sharon,
can you do a painting of specifically mountain range. Is
that something that you do? And I was like, oh, absolutely,
and I love this because we can bring that in,
but also I can bring in what I do best,
you know, and create this beautiful scene. And so I
suggested that we include also a pair of butterflies because
(22:16):
in Korean culture they symbolize harmony in a marriage, and
since they were getting married, I thought it was very important.
So I did that, and we also did poppies at
the bottom for Feminine Beauty.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Sharon. That was a great segue to our next question
because you talked a little bit about the process. And
I never like to ask creatives what their process is
because I sort of feel like it is what it is,
and everybody's a little different and we have to find
our own processes. So I never know if that's a
useful question or not. But I do like to hear
(22:51):
if there's a part of the process that somebody loves,
because usually there's something along the way, a step, a
method that people really love to do more so than
the others. And you know, recently I have seen some
of your Instagram post and watch I've sort of been
a little obsessed with you flaking off that gold leaf.
(23:12):
So tell me about that what is special to you
as the process goes.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
So when I was in college at art school, there
was this whole, I guess debate of the physical value
of an art work and the conceptual value of an
object versus art, like an object that has, you know,
a use value versus art, And what point is something
considered art and just an object and vice versa, And
(23:42):
how do you ascribe the value to these things? And
for me, that's always been such an interesting, I guess conundrum.
And at the beginning, when I first started making these
paintings that were directly inspired by references in Korean art,
I decided that they needed something and I would finish
(24:03):
a piece, and every single time I was like, it
needs something, and I decided to start gold leafing my paintings.
As you know, if you've ever been to the Korean
art wing, you know, maybe at Lakhma or something, you'll
see a lot of precious metals and materials being used,
whether it's you know, in lay or you know, on
objects or furniture or little hairpins. And also like lacquer, right,
(24:28):
lacquer was big. It was used for wood, for all
kinds of things furniture, and I wanted to bring in
some of those I guess decorative arts references back into
my art as well, even though these were paintings on
the wall. And so for me, it was kind of
this tongue in cheek way of saying, I may be
(24:49):
starting out, but my art has value and it has
a physical value, so nobody can really deny that. And
so for me, it was it was just something that
I did for myself and it ended up sticking, and
I still do it to this day. Every single original
of mine has twenty four care at gold leaf and
white gold leaf on.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
It, and I use lacquer.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
I have actually a high end furniture lacarist who I
met while working at Michael Smith, and I've been with
him for maybe a decade.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
I have yet to hear.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I mean, I think I've been his only artist that
he works with to this day. And I send all
of my pieces out to him to get lacquered and
they do about like fourteen layers of lacquer and then
they handsand them in between, and they're so beautiful and
it really makes the gold leaf shine.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
And so I really thought.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
How do I bring this to where everyone can enjoy
something like that? And I thought, you know what, I
should start goldleafing the art Prince, because the art prints
are really my way of sharing my art with you,
like what you were saying, with more than masses, right,
I think a lot more people can fit into their
by it, you know, an art piece of various sizes,
(26:03):
and so it becomes this really cool thing where they're
getting an art print, but I am actually going in
and painting this special adhesive on every part that has
gold leaf in the original and letting that dry and
then applying twenty four care at gold leaf to the
art print, so it's actually an our print that has
real value to it, and it becomes like an original,
(26:27):
And that really sets me apart, I think is as
far as the art print business goes.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
And I think that you.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
Just can't deny that everything on the site, it's important
to me, is esthetically beautiful. That is number one to
me and has always always been. But yes, it's just
a really cool thing. And like you said, I really
enjoy doing it. It's like eye candy. I love working
with gold. I mean who doesn't. It's like tantalizing. I
(26:55):
mean you're working with it. It adds so much dimension
to the art prints and it's this huge, I guess
reward for me after I've been working so long on
a painting, or after I've meticulously applied adhesive to an
art print, getting to apply the gold and then brushing
it away is like the puppy surprise at the end
for me. And it never gets old. And I think
(27:16):
the reason why you love watching it is because I
feel the same way, like I've done this you know,
thousands of times, but it really does not get old,
and I'm really addicted to it.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
So I love the feeling of this big reveal.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Well, it's certainly therapeutic, I have to say, watching you
flake off that gold leaf and again getting that surprise
at the end. Sharon Crane Home is where people can
find your wallpapers and your fabrics and your art. But
anybody who follows you on social media know that you're
quite the fashionista as well, and it's so much fun
(27:55):
to watch your creativity unfold into inspiring fact looks too.
So what's your affinity behind that.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
I don't know if anyone really knows this, but in
high school I used to sew my own clothes. So
I would go vintage shopping with my sister and we'd
actually race each other because we were the same size.
And we'd be standing at the threshold of like one
of these stores on Melrose and we just run and
we just like compete getting the cutest things, and we
(28:24):
would take them home and I would actually cut apart
a lot of the pieces and make them into something
else and wear them to school. Thankfully, I went to
a school that didn't have uniforms, but ever since I
was young. The way I dress really was an expression
of my art, myself, my identity, who I am, you know,
and it's a huge part of my practice, I would say,
(28:49):
is fashion because from a young age, like these are
the ways that you're you're discerning, like color and texture
and pattern, and you know, putting an outfit together is
not easy. I mean, that's why stylists have a job, right,
It's not just nothing. I think the way you dress
yourself is part of the art of your life, and
I think everyone is an artist. The way you live
(29:10):
your life is your art. The way you dress, the
restaurants you go to, the parties you throw, the people
you hang out with, the places you frequent. It's all
this symphony of, you know, creating an artful life. And
fashion is basically at the top for me of that
because I sell art. But there's nothing more appealing for
(29:35):
a human than something that goes on your body, right,
Like that's why women are obsessed with shoes, because they're
so perfectly fit to your foot, like Cinderella. So you know,
when you get to put something on yourself, you're like, wow,
it's this whole transformation that takes place and everything has
(29:55):
come full circle for me with this collaboration I have
with a really big deal fashion designer friend of mine,
and her name is essay A Xenaborr, and she's here
in Dallas, based in Dallas, but she has gorgeous stores.
She has one on Madison Avenue, New York, she has
one in the Hampton. She's opening everywhere, and she's such
a big deal. And lucky for me, I get to
(30:18):
be really close with her as friends and also as
collaborators because we have a fashion collab together where we
did a runway show for charity last year and we
basically I painted by hand about eleven looks.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
So so she had all.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
Of these pieces designed and she sketched them out, and
then I went in and sketched over her sketches of
what I wanted to paint on top. So there was
a ball skirt that had yards and yards of silk
me coddo hot pink fabric, and I painted about sixteen
cranes by hand on it.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
It took me forever.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
That was worn on the red carpet by an actress actually.
And there was another piece that was inspired by a
traditional Korean landscape and it had cranes and mountains and
waterfalls and rocks on it. And it was this yellow
shift gown that went all the way to the floor
with water on the bottom. And this was like my
(31:16):
dream come true. Basically, like everything in my life kind
of culminated for me in that moment and it was
like this crazy, I don't know, it was just a dream.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Yeah, So how fun.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Is that for you to take your creativity and take
it from you know, a personal runway if you will,
that is somebody's home to the runway that people that
people see. That's that's great.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
You must have dreams for Crane Home, as you have
talked about how you just are a dreamer in general
and where you want to take this. It's been fun
to hear what's next on the horizon for Crane Home.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
Well, my mission is to share Korean art and the
story behind it with as many people as possible. And so,
you know, the main outside of the wallpaper and fabric,
which I've had from the beginning, which is harder for
someone to just go online on my site and buy
right then and there. I mean, we do have a
wallpaper calculator, but there's this roadblock right to actually purchasing
(32:15):
the wallpaper, and you know, there's only so many rooms
in your home, and chances are if you do love wallpaper,
like you have a beautiful wallpaper behind you, so you
might have already picked that. But I think that everybody
always has a reason to add, you know, a little
art print somewhere into a little beautiful corner of their
home or in a bookshelf, or gift it to their
(32:36):
mom or what have you. So I really am excited
about these art prints that we are offering because not
only are we going to keep growing and growing our
catalog and library of art prints, including two pieces that
I just acquired that are hitting the site soon of
ancient works.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
So these are very very old works.
Speaker 4 (32:57):
And I have a dealer in Los Angeelus and it's
a collection and I am going to start buying works
that are basically the copyright has passed because it's they're
so old, and I'm going to have them scanned and
offered as art prints on the website. So I just
want to become the go to for beautiful art prints
(33:21):
of an Asian inspired nature. And I just want everyone
to think, Okay, I need some art in this corner
or in this bathroom.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
Maybe it's not going to be an.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Original for that space, and you just know, boom like
grain home, you know, And that's really my goal. It's
really the impossible thing to do. And you know, back
when I was working at Michael's too, I always think
back to this. You know, we had our go to
vendors for filling the house with art. Like of course
there was Christie's and Sotheby's and artists and galleries that
(33:54):
they would do for the originals, but there were I mean,
how many walls are there in the house in a
gigantic you have so many walls, and many of them
are not going to have original art. Even in the
highest cream of the crop homes that I have worked on.
There are so many opportunities in that home and in
so many homes in America that need art. But where
(34:17):
do you go? So, you know, if you're someone who
is I guess intimidated by going into a gallery, like
I need art, do I go into a gallery? I mean,
you don't know how much that's going to cost, you
know what I'm saying. Like it's kind of nice though,
to look on a catalog online and have the prices
just spit out at you and have lots of options.
(34:38):
That's kind of where I'm headed. I just want to
be the source.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Well, ultimately, you want to be accessible to more people too,
and I think that that is a really great way
to allow someone to walk into a store and just
buy something they love because it speaks to them and
has beautiful movement in it and color. And I'm a
big believer too. We all need some organic shapes and
spaces in our homes and art is a good way
to do that too. So I can't wait to see
(35:04):
it and shop it.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
As well well.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
And also what's crazy is that my eight year old,
when we were in Los Angeles this past summer, he
actually painted the most amazing abstract painting on a panel
that got damaged for a client.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
That I was supposed to paint.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
I was like, hey, why don't you just do something
with this? And I just put out some paints for him.
And he's quite artistic actually, and he loves architecture too.
He just does these four plans. He's just amazing. But
he just started painting this piece and I will send
you a picture of it. It's amazing. And I was like,
I wonder if I should just put this on my
site as an art print and see if anyone knows
(35:41):
it was painted by an eight year old. I'm like,
I don't have anything abstract. Maybe he can be my guy.
So who knows? He might be fourth generation artist for
Crane Home, which is so exciting, a.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
True family business. Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
He says he'll buy it from me one day and
I was like, no, no, you can just have it.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Well, Sharon, it's been so fun talking today. But we
always like to end our episodes with a few final questions.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
What is the beat that keeps you going?
Speaker 4 (36:11):
The beat that keeps me going, honestly is my clients.
You know, every single time someone asks me what inspires you?
And honestly, outside of obviously my family and Korean art,
it's got to be the client. It's got to be
the family, where the art ends up, where the wallpaper
ends up.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
You know. I love doing custom projects.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
I'm doing a custom mural right now, which has been
something that I'm exploring more and more, where we do
a painting and then from that we create this fully
custom mural that goes into a space that's prescribed from
the beginning, and it is so cool and every single time,
It's like I'm envisioning that client in my head the
entire time I'm doing that initial sketch, and it's so
(36:54):
exciting when they see it and they're just like, Yes,
this is exactly what I wanted. I can't wait, Let's
do it. That's what keeps me going well.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And just that creative process is where it just gives
you your energy and your drive every day to wake
up and give to somebody else. So that's wonderful. And finally,
what does your perfect boulevard look like?
Speaker 4 (37:13):
Honestly, I would really say that my ideal boulevard. I mean,
if I could think of the ideal street to live on,
my street I live on is pretty ideal, so if
I can say that, But I absolutely love it, just
in the sense that you know, there's trees, big big
oak trees lining the street. Every single house looks so
(37:35):
charming and unique and different from the other.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
At the same time, everybody, I would say in our
neighborhood just has so much pride over their home and
the way it looks. You know, nobody's going to let
their lawn go, nobody's going to just let their flowers
die and leave them that way, like everybody has a
perfectly manicured front lawn and it looks so gorgeous all
the time, with like seasonal flowers, and it's just so cute.
(38:00):
And it's really like a little bit like pleasant Bill
And in the sense that everyone knows each other, you know,
we are on a group text, like if something happens,
we'll text each other. If I need one more egg
for my cake I'm making, I can ask my neighbor,
you know, the neighbor's kids come over to play and
vice versa. And it's just so wonderful. And it's just
(38:24):
not something that we really had where we lived in
Santa Monica, and frankly, I didn't really even know this
type of community existed.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
I just can't even believe we live here.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
I love it so much, and I'm so grateful for
University Park and where we live and to our neighbors
and friends.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Eggs are difficult to come by these days, so your
neighbors are extra generous. Maybe I should move there, Sharon.
We have enjoyed speaking with you so much today. Thank
you for your time, and we will direct everybody to
take a look at Crane Home, so if they are
not familiar with Korean art that they can at least
get a taste of it there and follow you and
(39:03):
see what else do you have to offer as you
bring a different culture into all of our lives.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Was such a pleasure to speak with both of you,
and I love what you're doing. I love the podcast,
so I can't wait to hear more.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Boulevard Beat.
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow along and leave
a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen
so you never miss an episode, And of course, follow
your hosts on Instagram at Megan bloom Interiors, at CHRISA. Rossbund,
and at Liz Legit. We'll be back next week as
we take a stroll down another boulevard
Welcome to Boulevard Beat, a podcast where life and style intersect.
I'm designer Megan Bloom along with my co hosts, editor CHRISA.
Rossbund and gallery owner Liz Legit. This podcast focuses on
the daily highlights instead of the hustle, interviews with taste makers,
and personal conversations on how to highlight achievable style you
constrol one street at a time, Boulevard Beat proves the
(00:30):
one you should take today. On Boulevard Beat, we're thrilled
to welcome the incredibly talented Sharon Lee Clark. Sharon is
a visual artist whose work beautifully leaves together color, culture,
and story. Raised in California with the deep Korean roots,
Sharon draws inspiration from both her heritage and her surroundings,
(00:51):
creating pieces that feel it once personal, soulful, and universally compelling.
I've long admired her ability to blend tradition with modern expression,
and you'll hear just how intentional and passionate she is
about her art and identity. Welcome Sharon, Thank you so
much for having me. I'm so excited to be here
with y'all.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So we like to start each episode of Boulevard beat
by having each of our guests tell us about.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
The street where they grew up.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Tell us your story.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
I grew up on Green Branche Drive in Lacaanata, California,
and it was actually a really idyllic street in childhood.
There was a lot of nature actually because it was
right outside of Pasadena and I guess near the Rose Bowl,
but there is a golf course that the street wrapped around,
(01:37):
so there was a lot of nature. We would see deer, even,
you know, one time a mountain lion, which is kind
of scary, and all kinds of birds, and one time
our dog got sprayed by skunk. And it was just
the most beautiful place. And yeah, I mean California. I
just love it so much. The light, the birds, and
(01:59):
you can kind of at once be in nature but
also be near the city, which was really a unique
experience growing up. And being able to drive an hour
to get to the snow too, you know, going up
Angelus Crest and then also being able to drive just
a little bit to get to the beach really informed
I guess, like my esthetic for color and my love
(02:20):
of nature and everything around me growing up. I mean,
it was it was a really beautiful place to grow up.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, California has its fair share of beauty for sure,
and seventy six and sunny on most days doesn't hurt either.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
That's right, Sharon.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
You grew up on a street here in the United States.
But we know that you tap into your Korean heritage
quite a bit to inform your artistry. What's it like
to use that heritage as your springboard versus other forms
of inspiration?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
What does that mean to you?
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I have a really unique perspective growing up with Korean
immigrant parents who moved here when they were about twenty
three and twenty five, and they moved just after they
got married on Chedju Island and they had their wedding
and they moved to La. Actually, my paternal grandfather invited
(03:11):
them to come to Los Angeles and so he was
already out there. They started their lives. They moved around
a little bit, but ended up back in La which
is all that I remember.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Really.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
It was a really unique experience because, yes, my sister's
first language was Korean. Mine was both simultaneously English and Korean,
and I do speak Korean.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
So it was a really huge.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Part of my life growing up, you know, eating the food,
watching my mom, you know, painting on the dining room table,
growing up, the fact that she was so entrenched in
the culture herself. She's an accredited Korean folk art painter,
so she has shown her work in Korea. It's absolutely magnificent.
(03:59):
We have pieces of hers as heirlooms in our family
that will never sell or get rid of. And yeah,
I've just really grown up watching her teach us and
show us the beauty of Korean culture and Korean art
and in every aspect of life. And that has been
a huge influence on me. And I guess I could
(04:19):
say it was a little bit mixed of a reaction
when I was younger, because growing up Korean American, you know,
you do look different than some of the other kids,
and you know, your lunch smells funny, and people ask
you questions and they would come over and they'd be like,
it looked and smell different than some other American families homes.
(04:40):
And I started recognizing that there was this huge difference,
and I actually had a phase where I was embarrassed
of it. But I learned to really turn that around
and create something in basically in my personality and in
who I am and what I do that was entirely
unique and set me apart. So every step of the
(05:01):
way my art practice has been about my Korean heritage
and bringing that really to the limelight. And because of that,
I really feel like it helped me create this foothold
in the design industry but also in the art world.
And to this day, I think I'm pretty much one
(05:21):
of the only artists that is, you know, using Korean
art as the main basis of my work. And you know,
it was a huge honor last year that we got
named number one Asian American owned home decre brand in
the US, so that was really really cool. And yeah,
it's just been, you know, rewarding over and over and
(05:45):
it's just become this huge blessing in my life. And
I would never ever change a thing about my childhood
and about my heritage. It's the greatest thing about me.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
We agree, how it's manifested into the adult share and
is fabulous. So with that and congratulations on that on
that honor.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Thank you, Sharon.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
It's so fascinating and really wonderful how you just really
hung onto your history and how it has shaped you
as an artist and as you've changed and evolved in your.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Creative world as well.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Yours is inherent how it's been passed down through your family.
Give us your background on how you found your spot
in the interiors world.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
This is a little bit unique, I guess for a
Korean American household. But because my grandfather was an artist
and my mother is an artist, my family really, I guess,
encouraged me to pursue fine art from a young age.
So they sent me out to a lot of art
competitions and I would go to these summer programs all
(06:43):
over I even went to Oxford in the UK, and
I went to study at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago and also at Pasadena Art Center. And
I just really had this path laid out in front
of me, and the goal was to go to a
prestigious art school for college, which.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I did do.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
I went to UCLA Art School, and that was so
amazing to me that I even got in. And it
was such a cool experience. I learned so much just
about the different avenues that you can go into as
an artist, and it was a huge education for me.
And you know, I also learned what I didn't want
to do, you know, I felt like while I was
(07:26):
in college and after I ended up as an art
gallery associate director. After that, I just saw a lot
of art all around me that was not exactly aesthetic,
and I knew that in my heart. I just am
such an aesthetically driven person from a young girl, and
(07:47):
I was always the one and very entrepreneurial. Actually, I
was always making things and trying to convince everyone around
me to buy it. That that hasn't really changed a lot,
but I guess I was fighting the the straight art
career by saying, you know what.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I am a businesswoman too.
Speaker 4 (08:05):
I want to show everyone that I can make money
doing this and that I'm smart and I can go
back to school and get my master's in something and
then put it all together and go in some direction.
I don't know what it is. And I ended up
pursuing first set design, which was really calling my name
for some reason. You know, I was in LA and
(08:26):
I just love art photography. I studied under Kathy Opie
at UCLA, and I loved this idea of creating a
set to be able to take photos in. And you know,
actually going back in college, one of my favorite series
that I did was an art photography series called Dollhouse,
(08:47):
and I used a four x five large format camera
with film and I would create these elaborate settings in
urban gardens, and one of the first was actually in
our own backyard and I would put furniture up in
the hillside and then my family and friends would get
dressed up in Korean huntbook and pose in the landscape.
(09:11):
And I also did it at the Hannah Carter Japanese Museum,
got permission to do it there. I did it in
a bunch of other different little kind of shangri law
like urban gardens around LA and it was such a
fun project and I fell in love with, like I said,
creating these I don't know allegorical sets from my mind.
(09:33):
And so I really thought, you know what, set design
could be the answer to making it more of a
concrete career. So I ended up going back to school
to study some of the different programs that you needed
to create these sets, you know, in virtual reality. So
I went back to UCLA Extension to study those, and
(09:54):
slowly but surely I was like, no, I don't want
to be an interior designer, but the class has really
kept calling and pulling me in, you know, and so
I just continued and continued and ended up getting my
Masters of Interior Architecture surprisingly enough, and from there I
was like, you know what, maybe interior design is my calling,
you know, maybe that's how I bring everything together. And
(10:16):
I ended up eventually at the offices of Michael Smith
during the era when we were working on the White
House for the Obamas, and that was a huge training
ground for me. It was almost like the working there
was a bit of a I want to say, slap
in the face where I was like, Wow, this isn't
exactly the life that I was meant to live. I'm
(10:40):
you know, I'm an artist through and through. I'm not
project management isn't necessarily my calling in life. And so
most people listening to your podcast will know that the
interior design industry is so rigorous in project management and
a lot of the things that anyone who loves interiors
starting an interior design firm or work looking intoior design
(11:01):
is definitely not for the week, you know, It's got
a lot of other things that go with it that
for me, it just really wasn't a personality fit. At
the end of the day and at night, I was
still working on my paintings, and I was still sketching,
and I was always coming up with ideas and have
little projects on the side, and I just thought one day,
(11:21):
I was like, you know what, this isn't my life.
I need to leave my goals and pursue art full time.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Like it's time.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Now.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
I've avoided it, I've avoided what.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
My family wanted me to do for this many years,
and now I just need to put my artists beret
on and just go forward in the path that was
meant for me. So that's what I did, And that
was in the year twenty twelve. And my little rebellion
that I did actually was I said, you know what,
I'm not just going to be the artist in the
(11:52):
basement talking to no one, just making art and relying
on a gallery to sell my art. Too social, and honestly,
I'm much too cute for that. I just I love fashion,
I love people. I love you know, meeting women. It's
my favorite thing. So I have both sides to my
personality as a Gemini. So I really said, Okay, my
(12:14):
rebellion is I'm going to make a product out of
my art as well at the same time, which is
where the wallpaper happened.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
I love that. It's so fun hearing your history and
how you became your company of who you are today.
That's really fascinating. And you know, really, I think ultimately
you've been following your intuition all along and just kind
of taking that right next step and what that looks
like and how you make the next move, which we
all know. In recent years, you made a location move
to Dallas from California. What's that been like and has
(12:43):
a change in scenery transformed your artwork and aesthetic?
Speaker 4 (12:46):
First off, I just need to say a huge thank
you to the city of Dallas and to the city
of University Park where we live, and to all my
friends who adopted me and brought me into their circles.
I mean, I would not be where I am without
our community and all of our amazing family and friends,
our church, everything. It's absolutely incredible the personal transformation that
(13:11):
has occurred for our family over the past four years too.
I think we were just really searching and yearning for
more of a neighborhood, more of a community in la
and I think we were really missing that in Santa Monica.
You know, it's a beautiful place there, but we just
envisioned something different for our lives, and Max and I
have always had even though we both grew up in La,
(13:32):
we have always had almost an odd oddly enough like
a southern flare to our personalities.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (13:39):
The one critique about me in La was that I'm
overly friendly and people found it like off putting, and
here that's obviously not a problem. My husband and I
and our kids are just we could not be happier
with our situation and definitely for my company. I mean,
as you know, Dallas is experiencing a huge boom. There's
(14:03):
so many people moving here from all parts of the
world and coming together, and so many female entrepreneurs. You know,
almost every other woman you meet has a company or
is doing something fabulous, creative, incredible, and I just love
connecting with them and figuring out how we can do
(14:24):
something together or collaborate. And ever since moving here, it's
honestly been crazy. I've probably collaborated with I can't even
count how many women in a meaningful way, and to me,
that's everything. You can just work on your own in
a bubble, and it just wouldn't be as interesting, the
conversation wouldn't be as flowery and amazing as it is
(14:46):
in my life right now between me and a lot
of my female friends who are founders as well, and
we're doing some really fun stuff. And it's so wonderful
when you can have fun while you're running a company
as well. I mean, there's so many difficult things and
challenging things day to day that why not feel like,
(15:08):
you know, you're doing it with your girlfriends and you're
having a great time and having a blast and it
doesn't feel like work at all. So that's that's really
my secret. And Dallas has really been a huge step
forward for me with my company, and ever since moving here,
my company has grown exponentially. So I'm really really proud
(15:30):
of that and extremely honored to be here in Dallas.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Dallas is such a social community anyway, and I think
what you just said is so interesting that so many
women do have their own little entrepreneurial projects going on
their businesses, and so it's fun to be able to
brainstorm with other people when it comes to marketing or
business operations or new product development, new business development. That
(15:57):
definitely has shifted versus before when people worked for somebody
else in varying industries and maybe it didn't that sort
of brainstorming and networking maybe didn't apply in the same way.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Well, and ultimately, women truly do want other creatives to
be successful. So it's fun when you can be each
other's cheerleaders and collaborate. I think you hit that right
on the head. What collaboration is key, and that's what
makes the process and the everyday life fun and exciting.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Absolutely, I really just have gotten to the point in
my life I turned forty, I don't want to do
anything alone anymore. I don't ever want to throw another
event or do anything or launch anything alone. I want
to do it with someone else, with a friend who
is inspiring me in ways that I would have never
(16:47):
stretched or imagined, and vice versa, right, because we all
have such different backgrounds and talents and personalities that I
really truly feel like for the first time of my life,
like I always felt like you know, when you say
like okay women women supporting women like together were stronger.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
I always thought those were just catch phrases.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
I mean truly, like in LA I didn't really understand
how to put action behind those phrases. But the minute
I moved here, it really has come so it's become
so clear to me, like the path forward, right, and
it's just really exciting because the sky is the limit
and I can just keep going and going and going.
(17:31):
And I'm so fulfilled right now in my career and
in my life in every aspect. And it's I'm really
proud to say that, you know, because there have been
times in the past that have been extremely hard. And
obviously any business, interiors related or art related, is going
to be very tough. There's very very intense competition. There's
(17:57):
so much that changes about, you know, the way that
we conduct business in these industries, and it's very quite
complex and difficult to navigate for me at this point.
I mean, I don't know if it makes me a
veteran in any way that I started. I guess It's
been what twelve years since I started my company, but
(18:19):
I still feel like some days where I'm reinventing myself.
For instance, like we have two hundred art prints on
the website right now, with all the different options and
bells and whistles on the website.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
I mean that was just recent that.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
Just launched, i mean this year, so it's really incredible,
Like all of the different avenues and niches that you
can get into. It's really endless the possibilities, but also
yes that the business is challenging to keep you know,
relevant and to keep clients coming back to shop with you,
and they have a million and one options. And so
(18:58):
I'm truly grateful for every single client, every single designer
who has specified my work. It means, it means the
world to me, It means more than they probably know.
And every single art piece that ends up in another
home is just another time that I'm able to introduce
(19:18):
Korean art and Korean culture to another family. And that,
to me, was the entire mission of why I started this.
When I was working at Michael Smith, the reason why
I quit to pursue what I'm doing is because, specifically
because while I was working there, there was not a
single Korean inspired wallpaper, fabric, art piece anything the entire
(19:41):
time I was working there, And I said to myself,
this is such a shame, because I know how beautiful
Korean art is because I grew up with it, and
I just felt like I could be the one to
share that with everyone, and I feel like I have.
I mean, obviously, there's so much more to be done
in my business, and I have really really scary, lofty
(20:02):
goal for myself every day, which is why I probably
suffer from a level of anxiety.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
But it's really exciting.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
And I think more and more people are getting more
familiarized with the story of Korean art and the history
behind it, which makes me so so, so so fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
Sharon, I love to hear that you just went for
it and to bring that Korean art into the world
because it was missing and you saw that lack. You know,
you talked quite a bit about bringing some of your
product into more of the masses, into the commercial level.
Obviously that differs quite a bit from your more fine
art business. How do you keep them separate?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
That's the million dollar question.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
It is so hard to keep them separate, and honestly,
I don't. It's just all one big company. And my
original art pieces that are essentially ninety percent of them
are done by commission at this point because I love
working with clients on original art. It's one of my
passions to, you know, work specifically with a designer or
(21:06):
a family and talk about from the beginning, Okay, where.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Is this piece going to hang? What about the family?
Speaker 4 (21:12):
Can they tell me that is important to them and
their lineage and their story. How many children do they have,
what are their likes and dislikes? Is there a specific
animal that's important to them? For instance, there was a family,
and I love telling the story. They had just gotten
engaged and they bought a house and they wanted me
(21:33):
to paint a painting for their front living room. And
I said, Okay, let me come over and talk with
you and figure out what size we need, but also
kind of get a feel for what we're thinking for this.
And they had contacted me because specifically they wanted a
piece of the bould or flat iron mountains in Colorado
(21:53):
because they met at school there. So they said to me, okay, Sharon,
can you do a painting of specifically mountain range. Is
that something that you do? And I was like, oh, absolutely,
and I love this because we can bring that in,
but also I can bring in what I do best,
you know, and create this beautiful scene. And so I
suggested that we include also a pair of butterflies because
(22:16):
in Korean culture they symbolize harmony in a marriage, and
since they were getting married, I thought it was very important.
So I did that, and we also did poppies at
the bottom for Feminine Beauty.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Sharon. That was a great segue to our next question
because you talked a little bit about the process. And
I never like to ask creatives what their process is
because I sort of feel like it is what it is,
and everybody's a little different and we have to find
our own processes. So I never know if that's a
useful question or not. But I do like to hear
(22:51):
if there's a part of the process that somebody loves,
because usually there's something along the way, a step, a
method that people really love to do more so than
the others. And you know, recently I have seen some
of your Instagram post and watch I've sort of been
a little obsessed with you flaking off that gold leaf.
(23:12):
So tell me about that what is special to you
as the process goes.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
So when I was in college at art school, there
was this whole, I guess debate of the physical value
of an art work and the conceptual value of an
object versus art, like an object that has, you know,
a use value versus art, And what point is something
considered art and just an object and vice versa, And
(23:42):
how do you ascribe the value to these things? And
for me, that's always been such an interesting, I guess conundrum.
And at the beginning, when I first started making these
paintings that were directly inspired by references in Korean art,
I decided that they needed something and I would finish
(24:03):
a piece, and every single time I was like, it
needs something, and I decided to start gold leafing my paintings.
As you know, if you've ever been to the Korean
art wing, you know, maybe at Lakhma or something, you'll
see a lot of precious metals and materials being used,
whether it's you know, in lay or you know, on
objects or furniture or little hairpins. And also like lacquer, right,
(24:28):
lacquer was big. It was used for wood, for all
kinds of things furniture, and I wanted to bring in
some of those I guess decorative arts references back into
my art as well, even though these were paintings on
the wall. And so for me, it was kind of
this tongue in cheek way of saying, I may be
(24:49):
starting out, but my art has value and it has
a physical value, so nobody can really deny that. And
so for me, it was it was just something that
I did for myself and it ended up sticking, and
I still do it to this day. Every single original
of mine has twenty four care at gold leaf and
white gold leaf on.
Speaker 3 (25:08):
It, and I use lacquer.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
I have actually a high end furniture lacarist who I
met while working at Michael Smith, and I've been with
him for maybe a decade.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
I have yet to hear.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I mean, I think I've been his only artist that
he works with to this day. And I send all
of my pieces out to him to get lacquered and
they do about like fourteen layers of lacquer and then
they handsand them in between, and they're so beautiful and
it really makes the gold leaf shine.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
And so I really thought.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
How do I bring this to where everyone can enjoy
something like that? And I thought, you know what, I
should start goldleafing the art Prince, because the art prints
are really my way of sharing my art with you,
like what you were saying, with more than masses, right,
I think a lot more people can fit into their
by it, you know, an art piece of various sizes,
(26:03):
and so it becomes this really cool thing where they're
getting an art print, but I am actually going in
and painting this special adhesive on every part that has
gold leaf in the original and letting that dry and
then applying twenty four care at gold leaf to the
art print, so it's actually an our print that has
real value to it, and it becomes like an original,
(26:27):
And that really sets me apart, I think is as
far as the art print business goes.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
And I think that you.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
Just can't deny that everything on the site, it's important
to me, is esthetically beautiful. That is number one to
me and has always always been. But yes, it's just
a really cool thing. And like you said, I really
enjoy doing it. It's like eye candy. I love working
with gold. I mean who doesn't. It's like tantalizing. I
(26:55):
mean you're working with it. It adds so much dimension
to the art prints and it's this huge, I guess
reward for me after I've been working so long on
a painting, or after I've meticulously applied adhesive to an
art print, getting to apply the gold and then brushing
it away is like the puppy surprise at the end
for me. And it never gets old. And I think
(27:16):
the reason why you love watching it is because I
feel the same way, like I've done this you know,
thousands of times, but it really does not get old,
and I'm really addicted to it.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
So I love the feeling of this big reveal.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Well, it's certainly therapeutic, I have to say, watching you
flake off that gold leaf and again getting that surprise
at the end. Sharon Crane Home is where people can
find your wallpapers and your fabrics and your art. But
anybody who follows you on social media know that you're
quite the fashionista as well, and it's so much fun
(27:55):
to watch your creativity unfold into inspiring fact looks too.
So what's your affinity behind that.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
I don't know if anyone really knows this, but in
high school I used to sew my own clothes. So
I would go vintage shopping with my sister and we'd
actually race each other because we were the same size.
And we'd be standing at the threshold of like one
of these stores on Melrose and we just run and
we just like compete getting the cutest things, and we
(28:24):
would take them home and I would actually cut apart
a lot of the pieces and make them into something
else and wear them to school. Thankfully, I went to
a school that didn't have uniforms, but ever since I
was young. The way I dress really was an expression
of my art, myself, my identity, who I am, you know,
and it's a huge part of my practice, I would say,
(28:49):
is fashion because from a young age, like these are
the ways that you're you're discerning, like color and texture
and pattern, and you know, putting an outfit together is
not easy. I mean, that's why stylists have a job, right,
It's not just nothing. I think the way you dress
yourself is part of the art of your life, and
I think everyone is an artist. The way you live
(29:10):
your life is your art. The way you dress, the
restaurants you go to, the parties you throw, the people
you hang out with, the places you frequent. It's all
this symphony of, you know, creating an artful life. And
fashion is basically at the top for me of that
because I sell art. But there's nothing more appealing for
(29:35):
a human than something that goes on your body, right,
Like that's why women are obsessed with shoes, because they're
so perfectly fit to your foot, like Cinderella. So you know,
when you get to put something on yourself, you're like, wow,
it's this whole transformation that takes place and everything has
(29:55):
come full circle for me with this collaboration I have
with a really big deal fashion designer friend of mine,
and her name is essay A Xenaborr, and she's here
in Dallas, based in Dallas, but she has gorgeous stores.
She has one on Madison Avenue, New York, she has
one in the Hampton. She's opening everywhere, and she's such
a big deal. And lucky for me, I get to
(30:18):
be really close with her as friends and also as
collaborators because we have a fashion collab together where we
did a runway show for charity last year and we
basically I painted by hand about eleven looks.
Speaker 3 (30:34):
So so she had all.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
Of these pieces designed and she sketched them out, and
then I went in and sketched over her sketches of
what I wanted to paint on top. So there was
a ball skirt that had yards and yards of silk
me coddo hot pink fabric, and I painted about sixteen
cranes by hand on it.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
It took me forever.
Speaker 4 (30:55):
That was worn on the red carpet by an actress actually.
And there was another piece that was inspired by a
traditional Korean landscape and it had cranes and mountains and
waterfalls and rocks on it. And it was this yellow
shift gown that went all the way to the floor
with water on the bottom. And this was like my
(31:16):
dream come true. Basically, like everything in my life kind
of culminated for me in that moment and it was
like this crazy, I don't know, it was just a dream.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Yeah, So how fun.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Is that for you to take your creativity and take
it from you know, a personal runway if you will,
that is somebody's home to the runway that people that
people see. That's that's great.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
You must have dreams for Crane Home, as you have
talked about how you just are a dreamer in general
and where you want to take this. It's been fun
to hear what's next on the horizon for Crane Home.
Speaker 4 (31:51):
Well, my mission is to share Korean art and the
story behind it with as many people as possible. And so,
you know, the main outside of the wallpaper and fabric,
which I've had from the beginning, which is harder for
someone to just go online on my site and buy
right then and there. I mean, we do have a
wallpaper calculator, but there's this roadblock right to actually purchasing
(32:15):
the wallpaper, and you know, there's only so many rooms
in your home, and chances are if you do love wallpaper,
like you have a beautiful wallpaper behind you, so you
might have already picked that. But I think that everybody
always has a reason to add, you know, a little
art print somewhere into a little beautiful corner of their
home or in a bookshelf, or gift it to their
(32:36):
mom or what have you. So I really am excited
about these art prints that we are offering because not
only are we going to keep growing and growing our
catalog and library of art prints, including two pieces that
I just acquired that are hitting the site soon of
ancient works.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
So these are very very old works.
Speaker 4 (32:57):
And I have a dealer in Los Angeelus and it's
a collection and I am going to start buying works
that are basically the copyright has passed because it's they're
so old, and I'm going to have them scanned and
offered as art prints on the website. So I just
want to become the go to for beautiful art prints
(33:21):
of an Asian inspired nature. And I just want everyone
to think, Okay, I need some art in this corner
or in this bathroom.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
Maybe it's not going to be an.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Original for that space, and you just know, boom like
grain home, you know, And that's really my goal. It's
really the impossible thing to do. And you know, back
when I was working at Michael's too, I always think
back to this. You know, we had our go to
vendors for filling the house with art. Like of course
there was Christie's and Sotheby's and artists and galleries that
(33:54):
they would do for the originals, but there were I mean,
how many walls are there in the house in a
gigantic you have so many walls, and many of them
are not going to have original art. Even in the
highest cream of the crop homes that I have worked on.
There are so many opportunities in that home and in
so many homes in America that need art. But where
(34:17):
do you go? So, you know, if you're someone who
is I guess intimidated by going into a gallery, like
I need art, do I go into a gallery? I mean,
you don't know how much that's going to cost, you
know what I'm saying. Like it's kind of nice though,
to look on a catalog online and have the prices
just spit out at you and have lots of options.
(34:38):
That's kind of where I'm headed. I just want to
be the source.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
Well, ultimately, you want to be accessible to more people too,
and I think that that is a really great way
to allow someone to walk into a store and just
buy something they love because it speaks to them and
has beautiful movement in it and color. And I'm a
big believer too. We all need some organic shapes and
spaces in our homes and art is a good way
to do that too. So I can't wait to see
(35:04):
it and shop it.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
As well well.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
And also what's crazy is that my eight year old,
when we were in Los Angeles this past summer, he
actually painted the most amazing abstract painting on a panel
that got damaged for a client.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
That I was supposed to paint.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
I was like, hey, why don't you just do something
with this? And I just put out some paints for him.
And he's quite artistic actually, and he loves architecture too.
He just does these four plans. He's just amazing. But
he just started painting this piece and I will send
you a picture of it. It's amazing. And I was like,
I wonder if I should just put this on my
site as an art print and see if anyone knows
(35:41):
it was painted by an eight year old. I'm like,
I don't have anything abstract. Maybe he can be my guy.
So who knows? He might be fourth generation artist for
Crane Home, which is so exciting, a.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
True family business. Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
He says he'll buy it from me one day and
I was like, no, no, you can just have it.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Well, Sharon, it's been so fun talking today. But we
always like to end our episodes with a few final questions.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
What is the beat that keeps you going?
Speaker 4 (36:11):
The beat that keeps me going, honestly is my clients.
You know, every single time someone asks me what inspires you?
And honestly, outside of obviously my family and Korean art,
it's got to be the client. It's got to be
the family, where the art ends up, where the wallpaper
ends up.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
You know. I love doing custom projects.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
I'm doing a custom mural right now, which has been
something that I'm exploring more and more, where we do
a painting and then from that we create this fully
custom mural that goes into a space that's prescribed from
the beginning, and it is so cool and every single time,
It's like I'm envisioning that client in my head the
entire time I'm doing that initial sketch, and it's so
(36:54):
exciting when they see it and they're just like, Yes,
this is exactly what I wanted. I can't wait, Let's
do it. That's what keeps me going well.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And just that creative process is where it just gives
you your energy and your drive every day to wake
up and give to somebody else. So that's wonderful. And finally,
what does your perfect boulevard look like?
Speaker 4 (37:13):
Honestly, I would really say that my ideal boulevard. I mean,
if I could think of the ideal street to live on,
my street I live on is pretty ideal, so if
I can say that, But I absolutely love it, just
in the sense that you know, there's trees, big big
oak trees lining the street. Every single house looks so
(37:35):
charming and unique and different from the other.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (37:38):
At the same time, everybody, I would say in our
neighborhood just has so much pride over their home and
the way it looks. You know, nobody's going to let
their lawn go, nobody's going to just let their flowers
die and leave them that way, like everybody has a
perfectly manicured front lawn and it looks so gorgeous all
the time, with like seasonal flowers, and it's just so cute.
(38:00):
And it's really like a little bit like pleasant Bill
And in the sense that everyone knows each other, you know,
we are on a group text, like if something happens,
we'll text each other. If I need one more egg
for my cake I'm making, I can ask my neighbor,
you know, the neighbor's kids come over to play and
vice versa. And it's just so wonderful. And it's just
(38:24):
not something that we really had where we lived in
Santa Monica, and frankly, I didn't really even know this
type of community existed.
Speaker 3 (38:31):
I just can't even believe we live here.
Speaker 4 (38:33):
I love it so much, and I'm so grateful for
University Park and where we live and to our neighbors
and friends.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Eggs are difficult to come by these days, so your
neighbors are extra generous. Maybe I should move there, Sharon.
We have enjoyed speaking with you so much today. Thank
you for your time, and we will direct everybody to
take a look at Crane Home, so if they are
not familiar with Korean art that they can at least
get a taste of it there and follow you and
(39:03):
see what else do you have to offer as you
bring a different culture into all of our lives.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Was such a pleasure to speak with both of you,
and I love what you're doing. I love the podcast,
so I can't wait to hear more.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Boulevard Beat.
If you enjoyed this episode, please follow along and leave
a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen
so you never miss an episode, And of course, follow
your hosts on Instagram at Megan bloom Interiors, at CHRISA. Rossbund,
and at Liz Legit. We'll be back next week as
we take a stroll down another boulevard
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