Sharon Gojak is an Auckland artist who had her first solo exhibition at the Gillan Gallery in June 2006.

Sharon was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands and moved to Auckland as a child. She came from an artistic family, both her grandfathers were professional artists in Holland.

Sharon started painting 7 years ago, when she enrolled in Matthew Browne's class at Art Station to pursue an unfilled need to paint. Matthew recognised Sharon's talent and encouraged her to continue painting and to this day is a dedicated and encouraging tutor.

Sharon's signature is the Toe Toe paintings. She gets her visuals from the natural environment and finds this to be a blue print for her work. By focusing her themes on familiar New Zealand sights, she elevates them and puts them at the forefront of our New Zealand identity.

Many viewers who see Sharon's work marvel at how realistic her paintings are. Their three dimensional quality makes people ask if an actual Toe Toe has been applied to the canvas. They are always surprised to learn that the entire surface is painted. This is because she uses oil paint, applied with a palette knife to achieve a tactile texture and finds this the best way to convey their presence.

Her first work sold overnight and since then she has been unable to keep up with the demand. Her work has been very popular with clients wanting a representational piece of New Zealand landscape. She has also provoked a lot of interest from expatriate New Zealanders, wanting a reminder of home.