Happy New Year!

“Winter Rose”          Pastel             5” x 7”            $50          © Sharon Lewis

Merry Christmas!

Moving Towards the Light

“Moving Toward the Light”          5” x 7”    Pastel         $50         © Sharon Lewis
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            The Winter Solstice is upon us and I’m reminded that there are always two different ways to view this special time: as the longest night or, as I tend to see it, the special night after which, each day will gradually bring more light.  I hope wherever you are, that you are enjoying the light and warmth of family and friends.

            Happy Weekend and to my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah!

Over the River and Through the Woods

“Over the River and Through the Woods”       9” x 9”    Pastel         $100         © Sharon Lewis
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            I’m not sure if I was drawn to this image because I was thinking of that holiday song about going to Grandmother’s house or if in the midst of working 13-14-hour days, I’m ready to drive off into that sunset. Either one sounds very comforting right now because I think preparing for a holiday can, at times, feel joyful but also a little overwhelming or even sad, remembering those no longer with us. Another way to interpret this scene is that even amid tough times there is always beauty and light.

            Happy Weekend!

The Best Gift

“The Best Gift”           2.5 x 3.5            Pastel         $25         © Sharon Lewis
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            Last weekend I got the best birthday present because I got to celebrate my birthday with both my kids in the mountains. It’s not often that I can get my son, a busy Economist and young father and my daughter, a busy attorney, to take an entire weekend off. It was a wonderful time of catching up with what’s been going on in each other’s lives and enjoying the outdoors despite the gray skies. We hiked along the Ocoee River through trees alternately green and bare. Being with the people I love most is the best gift in the world!

            Happy Weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Family Gathering”         6” x 6”        Pastel         $40         © Sharon Lewis

            This past, challenging year I have been reminded of how immensely important my family and friends are to my life.  So, this Thanksgiving, I am even more grateful than usual for my wonderful kids and all of my friends; your love and support make me the luckiest person I know!

            I am also grateful for the poetry of Maya Angelou, whose work never fails to remind me of how truly brilliant and wise she was. Here is an excerpt from her poem, “A Brave and Startling Truth”:

When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear

When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

            Happy Thanksgiving!
 

Fall at the Lake

“Fall at the Lake”      Pastel             8” x 10”            $75             © Sharon Lewis
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                I often look to poetry for titles for my paintings or to be inspired about what to write each week. Poets seem to paint so well with words. I found this poem by Rita Dove titled “November for Beginners”. There is a line I love in this poem that seems to fit this painting better than anything I might add so I leave you with this:

             “We sit down

            in the smell of the past

            and rise in a light

            that is already leaving.”          

            Happy Weekend!

A Day at the Beach

“A Day at the Beach”             Pastel            8” x 10”               $75                © Sharon Lewis
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            Many of my colleagues and students (and me) are experiencing quite a bit of stress as we work our way to the end of the semester, and of course the cold, wet, and dreary weather isn’t helping. This is when I find an active imagination and a bit of creative license are helpful. I am imagining a nice warm beach with a bit of a breeze as you can see by the clouds. You have a great book to read or are just gazing out into the distance over the beautiful blue sea which is reflecting the gorgeous sky above. Ahhhhh.....I’m feeling more relaxed already.

Happy Weekend!

Apples the Color of Fall

“Apples the Color of Fall”          Pastel              8” x 10”               $75             © Sharon Lewis
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As a landscape artist, I so enjoy the long hours of light in the summer but I also love the colors of fall! The reds, oranges, and yellow-greens always seem to be a wonderful solace for the shorter days and longer nights.  I hope wherever you are, you’re enjoying the cool, crisp, and colorful days of autumn.

Happy Weekend!

Land's End at End of Day

“Land’s End at End of Day”   Pastel                   9” x 12”               $100                © Sharon Lewis
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            It was the end of a beautiful day and we were having a delicious meal of lobster, our last one before leaving wonderful southern Maine. We had the perfect vantage point in the restaurant because we could see the setting sun cause the shore of the other islands to glow with this radiant, warm light.  This is the kind of scene to keep you warm on a chilly fall day or night.

            Happy Weekend!

Sunrise over Skye

“Sunrise over Skye”            Pastel              9” x 12”          $100          © Sharon Lewis
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            One of my favorite places to visit in Scotland is the island of Skye....along with  apparently every other visitor to Scotland nowadays. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a hotel room for the nights we were going to be there and found instead the island of Raasay. It’s a beautiful, small island just west of Skye and staying there allowed me to see the sun rise over Skye, illuminating this beautiful island’s western coast.

            Happy Weekend!

A Study in Grace

“A Study in Grace”           Pastel            6.5” x 6.5”          $40           © Sharon Lewis
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            I love trees like this! They stand on a hillside, buffeted by the winds...bending with the storms they’ve endured but never completely overcome by them. They stand with such strength and grace...like many of the people I most admire.

            Happy Weekend!

Sharing Beauty

“Sharing Beauty”            Pastel            10” x 8”          $75           © Sharon Lewis
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            Not surprisingly, sometimes what’s happening in an artist’s life ends up influencing her/his choice of subject. I notice that as my life gets a little stressful, I’m increasingly drawn to peaceful scenes. This one however is a mixture of a peaceful, possibly romantic image of two people sharing a beautiful view and the dynamic, maybe rough waters that they’re viewing. Maybe because they stand together supporting each other, those choppy waters don’t seem quite so rough.

            Happy Weekend!

The Splendor of Ended Day

“The Splendor of Ended Day”      Pastel        7” x 9”     $ 70      © Sharon Lewis
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            Our long days of light are gradually getting shorter but it seems we’re getting compensated lately with some spectacular sunsets. No matter how many colorful sunsets I’ve observed, they never get old. They’re always different, always surprising me with yet another mix of beautiful colors. It’s nature, the ultimate artist creating yet another masterpiece. I owe credit to another artist, the poet, Walt Whitman, for the title of the painting, taken from his poem, “Song at Sunset.”

            Happy Weekend!

Flowers for Julia

“Flowers for Julia” Pastel        2.5” x 3.5”        SOLD       © Sharon Lewis

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I was struggling a bit on what to post this week. I had a painting I did on Saturday but it just wasn’t conveying the mood and setting as I hoped. So, I looked around my studio and saw this small painting I did while on the coast. If I was at all successful in conveying the beauty and grace of these wildflowers, it is probably because of my exposure to the wonderful wildflower paintings of my immensely talented artist friend, Karen Margulis.

 I think this painting spoke to me today because it reminded me of the photos of beautiful flowers my youngest sister Julia used to post each week of the flowers she grew in her garden. A love of growing beautiful flowers is something my two sisters and I always shared.

Enjoy your flowers, hug the people you love,  and Happy Weekend!

Here She Comes

“Here She Comes”         Pastel        5” x 7”        $50        © Sharon Lewis
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Last weekend, we celebrated the life and mourned the passing of my youngest sister, Julia Deal Lewis West, one of the most generous and kind people I have known.  I find myself seeking comfort again in one of my favorite poems by Henry Van Dyke, Gone From My Sight:

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."

Gone where? 

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...

                  Hug the people you love and have a Happy Weekend!

Sunset Music

       “Sunset Music”        Pastel        7.5” x 12”         $250         © Sharon Lewis
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            There’s often a time late in the day when the setting sun causes everything to glow. I was lucky enough one summer to catch that light just as it was causing these rocks to glow and making the waves appear even more dramatic than they usually do on these rocky shores. This is the time of day when the sounds of nature start to wind down at the shore, leaving just the beautiful, rhythmic music of the sea.

            Happy Weekend!

The Scenic Route

“The Scenic Route”       Pastel     9” x 12”     $100     © Sharon Lewis
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I don’t usually run while on vacation, preferring to hike or walk instead. After all, this is a time for relaxing, right? But I found a great path with such beautiful scenery that I couldn’t resist running along the water here several times. The water of course is gorgeous but the rocks are also fascinating. There are so many different colors and textures on Maine's rocky shores that I never get tired of painting them.

            Happy Weekend!

An ideal Summer Day

“An Ideal Summer Day” Pastel     8” x 10”     $75     © Sharon Lewis
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            It was for me, an ideal summer day. There was sunshine, a cool breeze, beautiful clouds in a blue sky, and I had enough time to paint this gorgeous view. I could have painted (and did) for hours, until it was time to celebrate the end of this wonderful summer day, enjoying a glass of wine and watching the sun set.

            Happy Weekend!