Plein Air Painting in a Beautiful Place

Maine Cloud Studies                 2.5 x 3.5          Pastel            $20 each            © Sharon Lewis

            I am back in the heat, humidity of Atlanta with lots and lots of rain thrown in! Other than one night of rain, we were so lucky in Maine to have sunny and cool weather. It was ideal for painting plein air or on location. I didn’t have to go far and wasn’t exactly roughing it since from the deck of the house we were staying in I had a wonderful view of a beautiful sky with lots of clouds. I wanted to do a series of cloud paintings (one of my favorite things to paint) and since the clouds were changing so rapidly, I chose to do mini paintings, some of which I’ve posted here.

            I hope you are enjoying your summer wherever you are.

The Glory of Summer

"Shady Refuge"             11" x 14"             Pastel           $150          © Sharon Lewis
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I'm on Bailey Island, Maine, one of my favorite places to be at this time of year. While the Atlanta area has gotten warm and humid, this small island in the Casco Bay is still experiencing spring-time temperatures with cool mornings and evenings.

We are in a house that we rent each June that sits on a rocky cliff overlooking a cove as well as the beautiful Casco Bay. We fall asleep listening to the waves gently breaking and are awakened by birds singing and the excited peeps of the twenty tiny ducklings below.

I hope wherever you are, that you are enjoying a glorious summer!

Yummm…..Tasty Art!

"Sweet Treats"          8” x 8”         Pastel         $70        © Sharon Lewis
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           I was in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, walking down the street when this amazing window of beautifully colored cupcakes caught my eye. I didn't have my camera at the time but found time to go back later. I wanted to both sample the wares and take some pictures of this amazing store window. I think the staff thought I was a little crazy when I asked them if I could take photos of their window display so that I could paint their colorful cupcakes. However, it’s San Francisco so the staff just shrugged and said “Sure”.  They have about 30 or more different favors of cupcakes and I can tell you the cupcakes at CAKO are both beautiful and absolutely delicious!

A Sense of Wonderment

“Small Wonders”    8” x 10”    Pastel   $75       © Sharon Lewis
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           I have a friend in Florida who has been posting great photos on FB of young Sandhill cranes called colts and another friend here in Georgia who’s posted photos of a fledgling robin she discovered in a bush next to her house. Of course my first reaction is  “Awww, they’re so cute” and then I’m back to finishing what I need to do. However, when I looked at the painting I had decided to post today I started to remember how I looked at bird’s eggs when I was a child.

            I remember when I was little, finding a robin’s egg like the ones in today’s painting and holding it in my hand with this tremendous sense of wonder. I thought the egg was so beautiful but I couldn’t figure out how a bird could be inside of it. When I look at robins’ eggs even today I’m reminded of that sense of wonderment.

            As I struggled to capture the rough texture of the bird’s nest, the smooth surface of the eggs, and that beautiful turquoise color, I was reminded of that wonder. I’m also grateful to have observant, generous friends who are willing to share these small wonders with me.