Note: Season 1 episodes were taped in advance. When Sharon speaks about charity event she chaired, she was speaking of 2023 events.
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Dallas-based designer and artist Sharon Lee Clark is a featured guest on the People Pursuing Passions podcast, hosted by Beverly Smirnis. She shares how she balances motherhood and charity fundraising with Krane Home, her playfully original line of home decor blending traditional Korean symbolism and luxe American aestheticism.
Each Animal and Flower is Symbolic
While growing up in Los Angeles, Sharon learned drawing and painting at a young age under her family’s tutelage. Sharon Lee Clark’s mother and grandfather were both Korean-born artists and had a profound influence on Sharon’s life.
Sharon’s family members taught her about the role of artistic expressionism in Korean culture. Korea’s landscape paintings inspired from the time of the Joseon Dynasty, often depict mountains, rivers, and serene nature scenes. She learned that each animal and flower represent legends and beliefs from of a specific region.
The “ten longevities” in Korean art are Cranes, Deer, Turtles, Mushrooms, Peaches, Mountains, Water and Pine Tree. And the Tiger symbolizes protection for a family in the region that her family hails from. You’ll see all of the above incorporated into her art, home fashions and couture collaborations.
Her Artistic Expression Extends Far Beyond Studio Art
Sharon earned her art degree from UCLA and went on to pursue a Masters degree in Interior Architecture. “I felt that exploring a different artistic field would open up more opportunities for being social and have interaction with people,” she explains.
So, her formal career started working under a renowned California interior designer. Then, an innate entrepreneurial spirit next led her to branch out on her own to establish Krane Home to introduce a textile line based on her art. Its name comes from the crane, one of the longevities. And she spelled it with a “K” to symbolize Korean.
“Everyone Deserves To Live a Life Full of Pattern and Color”
Unless they were of Korean descent, there was very little awareness in the American marketplace about the incredible stories and symbolism of the culture. Through her art, and expressed on Krane Home’s wallpaper, fabric and decorative pillows, Sharon brought these stories to life for her clients.
The design community and home fashion publications have indeed taken note of her talent in modernizing traditional Korean symbols and balancing them with the American taste for timeless and classis aesthetics. Sharon’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Luxe, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, and many more!
The Pandemic was Opportunity For Change
As the pandemic began to sweep across the nation, Sharon and her husband, Max, also an L.A. native, had more time to think and consider their future. With Krane Home offering an online shopping experience, and Max owning an IT brokerage, the modern couple could easily operate their businesses from anywhere they chose. So, in 2020, they made the decision to move to Dallas. And Dallas proved to be an even greater fit for her work and their family than they could have anticipated.
The Clark family settled in University Park, which Sharon calls “the perfect place to raise kids.” Their two sons attend Hyer Elementary, and Sharon says they’ve both inherited her artistic gene. She makes sure they travel back often to California to spend time with Grandma. ‘She was my biggest inspiration in life, and she will be theirs, too, to teach them all things Korean.”
“Earning Her Stripes” in Dallas by Getting Involved in Dallas Charities
Delving headfirst into her new community, Sharon became part of the Dallas charity scene, renowned for its grand galas, black-tie dinners, and themed fundraising events, benefitting a wide array of causes.
Her love of music naturally led her to join the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League. And DSOL made a perfect match in asking the multi-talented artist to chair the 2023 Dallas Symphony Fashion Notes event. She also chaired the Children’s Cancer Fund Gala Auction and Partners Card shopping event for The Family Place.
Dallas’ Taste for Home Entertainment & Fashion is a Goldmine for Sharon’s Talent
Sharon’s social circle in Dallas knows how to entertain and wants to their homes to be entertainment ready. “With Texas weather often unpredictable, interiors of the home need to be just as stunning as the gardens and outdoors,” Sharon said. And since many the city’s charity events are also occasions to don high-fashion ensembles, Sharon’s artistic talent has been put to task in some exciting couture collaborations.
She has held art shows at Carolina Herrera in Highland Park Village, and partnered with handbag designer Marie De La Roche on a project. And Paper City called the Ignite collection by world renowned couture designer Esé Azénabor and “Krane Home wallpaper wizard Sharon Lee Clark,” a “Feminine Fairytale.” Esé’s ethereal gowns embroidered and painted with whimsical scenes of nature were presented at Esé’s Dallas Design District studio at a fashion show even benefitting the Children’s Cancer Fund.
Words That Sharon Lives By
Sharon continues her life endeavor as a fine artist, while expanding and building Krane Home, and doing collaborations with other artists. But she also manages to balance all of it with precious family time.
She says her choice of coffee mugs each morning reflect her aspirations for the day. Some put her in “mom mode,” and there’s an NYPD mug for when she’s in “power mode.” But her favorite mug is the one with a quote by Dolly Parton, “Find Out Who You Are and Do It With Purpose.”
Another Dolly Parton quote says, “I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else.” Sharon warns not to listen to those who tell you not to bother because the competition is fierce. And never believe that you can’t achieve in the highest levels in business and still have a great work-life balance.
Her words of advice for entreprenuers:
“Fill in the blank: I am a genius at___________. And pursue it with passion!”
This article appears in the Holiday 2024 issue of The Savvy Life.
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