Sharon Wells | Photographer, Painter, Author
SHARON WELLS—author, publisher, photographer, painter
and preservationist — chose Key West as her home
almost thirty years ago. Growing up in Illinois (and Hawaii),
she immediately fell in love with the “allure of
the tropics” on the southernnmost island. Back then
(1976), rents were cheap, the afternoons were for imbibing
a cold one in a nearly vacant Sloppy Joe’s, lunch
at the Deli cost two bucks and you could dine on fresh
yellowtail, fried or grilled, as you overlooked dozens
of shrimp boats tied up to the docks along the island’s
western edge at the Gulf of Mexico.
Sharon Wells’ preservation efforts for 25 years
helped bring a new awareness of historic preservation to
locals and visitors alike. The National Register districts
were expanded, a preservation award program established,
the historic 1847 cemetery was revived, and architectural
review of the city’s treasure trove of 3.000 landmark
buildings came to the forefront.
Born in Arizona and educated in Illinois, Tokyo, Japan;
and Honolulu, Hawaii, Wells graduated with degrees in history & political
science, and a love for art. She moved to Key West in 1976
and began a career in historic preservation and photography.
In 2002 Sharon opened KW LIGHT GALLERY, a fine art photography
gallery, featuring her photographs and paintings as well
as giclees of historic photographs Key West.
Check out www.kwlightgallery.com for KW LIGHT GALLERY.
A student of history, Sharon established Island City Heritage
Press in 1995 and annually publishes 120,000 copies of
Sharon Wells’ Walking & Biking Guide to Historic
Key West. The Guide has received accolades over the years
from thousands of visitors.
With her personalized tours of Key West, Island City Strolls,
visitors accompany Sharon and her guides to off the beaten
track locales, by foot or on bikes, or “Conch cruisers. ” Sharon
Wells also penned Portraits: Wooden Houses of Key West,
Forgotten Legacy: Blacks In Nineteenth Century Key West
and Sloppy Joe’s: The First Fifty Years.
For Sharon, introducing the “spirit of place” to
Florida Keys’ visitors is a special delight. Through
research, writing, photography, publishing and guided tours,
Sharon aims to capture and transmit that “spirit
of place."
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CONTACT:
sharon@kwlightgallery.com
sharon@seeKeyWest.com
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