Heading Home

“Heading Home”     8” x 10”     Pastel     $75      © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase

          It was the end of a great vacation spent traveling in the Atlantic provinces of Canada and ending in Portland, Maine. We were unable to take a whale watching tour which I love doing, not only because catching sight of these huge, but graceful creatures is so exciting but also because I love any excuse to be out on the ocean. Instead, we were only able to get onto a boat tour of the Portland harbor area which involved stopping at various islands all around the area. This turned out to be much more interesting than I expected it to be, especially as the tour lasted until sunset. As a result, I was able to get some spectacular shots of the sun setting, illuminating the sky and water with amazing, almost lurid pinks and oranges. What a show!

Afternoon at the Park

“Afternoon at the Park”     9” x 12”    Pastel    $100      © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase

             One of my favorite places to walk on the weekends is a park near me called Panola StatePark. It’s only a 15 minute drive from Atlanta but it’s a great place to be surrounded by the sounds of birds calling, see rabbits who will pose for photos while munching away, unperturbed by passersby, and people of all ages fishing at the small lake (Alexander Lake).  You can hike, bike, run, or learn archery, orienteering, birding, or even tree-climbing. Panola Mountain is a large (100 acres) granite outcrop that’s part of the Arabia Mountain National HeritageArea, one of the few national heritage sites in the state.

            Happy Weekend!

First Light

“First Light”       9” x 12”      Pastel      $100       © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase

            Every summer for the last several years, we have been lucky enough to spend a week in June on Bailey Island, Maine. For reasons that remain mysterious to me, I, a very definite non-morning person, always wake up at first light. And I love doing this! Maybe it’s because that first light occurs in June during a time that most people would call night (around 4 AM) but for whatever the reason, this first light is just absolutely gorgeous! I have taken quite literally hundreds of photos of this time (during which time I have sometimes been bitten by what feels like a hundred mosquitoes) because you see beautiful colors that you don’t see any other time. In addition, each “first light” is different from all of the others. The sky presents itself as a unique and dazzling masterpiece each morning. What a gift!

Last Light

“Last Light”    9” x 12”   Pastel    $100     © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase

             Sometimes you can do all the research in the world planning for a vacation and you still run into issues that you hadn’t anticipated and then there are those other times, when you just can’t believe your luck. We got into Loen, Norway  just in time to see the sun shining on the mountain peaks behind our hotel and turning them my favorite color, hot pink. In addition, our hotel had a river running behind it which also caught the light. So, we quickly got our bags in the room, poured ourselves a glass of wine and took in the beautiful view. Ahhhhh, now that’s luck!

            Happy Weekend!

Marsh-Mellow

“Marsh-Mellow”      9” x 12”     Pastel       $ 100        © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase

            We were on our way to the coast last month, with me madly shooting out of the window at the sunset lit clouds, when I realized that beautiful colors were reflected into the small ribbons of water visible in the marsh. I just had to paint this! Sometimes, you just happen to be in the right place in the right time.

            Happy Weekend!

Patient Sentinel

“Patient Sentinel”       9” x 12”     Pastel      $100       © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase

            

              I took the reference photos for this painting, years ago…maybe as long as ten years ago, and I still find myself drawn to this image. I’m not sure if it’s because it evokes memories of a beautiful, cool, sunny, breezy, spring day on the New England coast or if it’s the image itself. There’s something intriguing about that house and I find myself fascinated by the pattern of dark trees and sunlit hillside. I would love to know what the view is like from that wonderful porch overlooking the water. I took the reference photos in the summer but I might have a different feeling about this place in the middle of winter when it’s most likely freezing cold and windy. Brrrrrr!

            I see this house as a patient sentinel, standing on the hillside, always watching and observing the changes of the seasons.

Artists are So Easily Seduced

“Evening Light”   2.5” x 3.5”   Pastel    $20   © Sharon Lewis
Click Here to Purchase 

           Sometimes, when I’m thinking about what I enjoy painting, I start making a mental list. I love to paint skies, clouds, oceans, mountains, and then I have to stop myself before the list gets any longer because what I really love to paint is light. I can so easily be drawn to (or seduced by ) any subject if the light is just right. I believe the famous painter Vermeer was similar if you look some of his paintings. For example, look at how so often he takes a simple scene (See “The Geographer”, “The Milkmaid”,  “Woman in Blue Reading a Letter” or  one of my very favorite paintings, “Woman Holding a Balance”) and makes it beautiful because he poses the subject close to a window and shows you how the light absolutely transforms his subject. 

            When I was traveling this summer I noticed how the early evening light transformed ordinary roads and buildings into objects of beauty. This small painting is an example of how this beautiful light transformed grays into purples and dull browns into vivid oranges.

           

           I hope wherever you are, that you experience some transformative light. Happy Weekend!