Arthur's Seat

“Arthur’s Seat”              Pastel              9” x 12”            $100            © Sharon Lewis
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            In the center of the beautiful city of Edinburgh is an amazing place called Holyrood Park. Within this park is a peak of 822 feet called “Arthur’s Seat”. Hiking to the top of this hill, you can see wonderful views of the city and the surrounding areas. The park is filled with these soft green hills with their contrasting craggy rocks, and tucked within some of the tall grasses like a hidden oasis, was this tiny pond.

Bridge of Light

“Bridge of Light”          Pastel          9” x 12”         $100       © Sharon Lewis
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This is another version of a scene that I loved gazing at this summer. It was that time in the evening when there is still light at the horizon and bats and barred owls flutter and glide overhead.  It felt like an autumn evening, maybe one close to Halloween when, “from the world of spirits there descends a bridge of light, connecting it with this, o'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends, wander our thoughts above the dark abyss” (Excerpt from “Haunted Houses” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807 – 1882).

Happy Halloween!

 

Tucked Away

“Tucked Away”     Pastel      9” x 12”    $100    © Sharon Lewis
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            It was that time of night when the light begins to fade and the birds seem to be calling good night. Before the sun slipped away completely, it set this meadow ablaze with light and it was only then that I noticed this small house tucked into the trees,….. with an absolutely perfect view of everything.

           Happy Weekend!

 

Breezy

“Breezy”            Pastel             5” x 7”          $50              © Sharon Lewis
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            I remember that it was my idea of a perfect summer day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and there was a cool breeze. (Note, it was not hot and sticky with the kind of humidity found often in swamps. That would be describing a typical August or September day in the Atlanta area.) In addition, there was this interesting landscape before me of lush gold and green meadows with blue and purple mountains in the distance.

The Stragglers

“The Stragglers”          Pastel          9" x 12"            $100             © Sharon Lewis
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            It seems that sheep are everywhere in the English and Scottish countryside. They can appear very cute and comical with their big, fluffy round bodies and small heads. On the other hand, they don’t seem to have been bred for intelligence. You will see them munching placidly on grasses by the side of roads or paths and then they’ll just step out in front of cars and look at you without the slightest bit of anxiety as with brakes screeching you nearly drive off a steep cliff to avoid hitting them. It makes you wonder, what kind of weed have they been munching on?

            Happy Weekend!

Shadow Drama

“Shadow Drama“                  Pastel             9" x 12"            $100             © Sharon Lewis
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            I love drama! At least I love it when it’s played out in the dramatic contrast of light and shadow as you can see in this scene. I took the reference photos for this painting as we were driving along the coast of the Isle of Skye. I saw a beautiful valley with sheep grazing and the light and shadow playing along the mountain behind.

            I love painting a pastoral scene such as this not only because of the contrast between the light and shadow in the background, but also because of the peace and tranquility of the foreground.

            Happy Weekend!

Welcome Sunshine

“Welcome Sunshine“             Pastel           9" x 12"          $100             © Sharon Lewis
n.f.s.

            All of us experience those times when we may not like a lot of things in our life. Maybe there’s a lot of stress or list of tasks that we know we have to do but are dreading. I’ve noticed that at times like these, when something pleasant happens, it’s like a ray of sunshine bursting through on a gloomy day. It fills you with gratitude for the respite from focusing on the negative and reminds you that things always change, usually for the better. It also reminds me of how appreciative I am of the natural world with its welcome rays of sunshine sometimes when you need it the most.

          Happy Weekend….

All That’s Best of Dark and Bright

“All That’s Best of Dark and Bright”       Pastel          15" x 20"           $250         © Sharon Lewis
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             I happen to love the poem “She Walks in Beauty” so with apologies to its long dead author, Lord Byron I borrowed a phrase from it to use as my title. Every time I read this poem I can see vivid images in my mind.  I think my favorite line is the first: “She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies…..”         

            While cloudless climes might be nice, this sky was filled with beautiful clouds catching the light of the sun as it faded from view. I can hear the sea gulls crying good night with the sound of the wind rolling across the water. Ahhh, peaceful.

Storms in the Glen

"Storms in the Glen"           Pastel             9" x 12"            $100             © Sharon Lewis
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              It’s hard to convey the feelings I had when I recently returned to the western highlands of Scotland. I love these mountains, which are a beautiful mix of soft grasses and harsh, forbidding-looking rocks. In addition, while it was a typical hot and sunny July day back in north Georgia, here it was wonderfully cool. Unfortunately, it was also rainy which makes it a little tricky to get photos. This painting is based on photos taken while one of these storms moved through the glen.

The Storm's Coming!

“The Storm’s Coming!”       Pastel           9” x 12”         $100          © Sharon Lewis
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            This is the type of landscape which always draws me to Scotland. Although I love the lush, green, rolling hills of this country, I also find this dark, mysterious type of landscape fascinating.

            My reference photos were pretty dark but I was still drawn to paint this. I don’t remember if a storm was approaching or had just moved away.  Either way, I love the sliver of light illuminating the path down the mountain.

Still Waters

“Still Waters”      Pastel     5” x 7”     $50     © Sharon Lewis
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            We’re going back to Scotland and the Lake District this summer and I’m hoping to get a few minutes now and again to paint while I’m there.  I’m bringing a new, very small painting box with me that I just got and so far I love it! It’s a Heilman sketchbox single that allows me to load pastels in one small section and store paper on the other side. I’ve already filled it up with the pastels that I’m bringing and to check to see if I’m bringing the right ones, I’ve been painting from my reference photos of the UK, using colors only from this box. This is a painting of Loch Katrine, a quietly beautiful, peaceful area in Scotland.

            Happy Weekend!

 

    

   

Cloudy, Blustery Day

"Cloudy, Blustery Day"        Pastel        5" x 7"         $50        © Sharon Lewis
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        I tend to get comfortable once I've figured out how to do something but I've also found that there is great value to challenging myself to do something differently. I think challenges like this not only help keep our brains healthy but also maybe make us more interesting people.

        I had grown used to working on one surface that I love (Uart sanded paper) but an artist I admire (Tony Allain) mentioned in a recent workshop that he used Colorfix. This is a different and rougher type of paper that I hadn't used in a long time. I was at first reluctant to try this since I was already challenging myself to use very different techniques in the workshop but I found it forced me to paint a little differently. This reminded me of how important it is for me not to just search for different, interesting images but to keep trying different things because I never know what I might discover.

From Memory

“From Memory”         Pastel            9” x 12”           $100            © Sharon Lewis
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           I’m back from a wonderful conference in Albuquerque (the International Association of Pastel Societies Conference). I took a great class with Jeanne Rosier Smith, one with Mike Beeman, and a terrific workshop with Tony Allain. I learned how to paint more beautiful waves from Jeanne, more expressive still lifes from Mike, and more striking and dramatic landscapes from Tony.

            In Tony’s workshop, he challenged us to paint a landscape from memory, something that formerly would have totally terrified me since I had a hard enough time painting from reference photos. Fortunately, I had painted a few landscapes recently and had a vague memory of one of them though I was painting so quickly that the final product wasn’t very interesting. When I got back, I made some changes in the composition to remind me more of the beautiful, striking sky I saw one day while traveling in Scotland.

In a Far Away Glen

“In a Far Away Glen”        Pastel         9” x 12”       $100       © Sharon Lewis
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         It’s been non-stop running around for the last several months and I think how peaceful and beautiful a place like this looks. It is the kind of place that you can hike to, spread out your picnic lunch on those golden grasses, and have a view of quiet water and majestic mountains all around. Your only visitors might be a few curious sheep. Ahhhh…..

After the Rain

“After the Rain”            Pastel            9” x 12”          $100          © Sharon Lewis
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            I’ve been enjoying the return of my hummingbirds and the joyous sound of birds chirping. The goldfinches and other winter bird visitors are gone leaving the old standards, the titmouse, chickadee, and cardinal.

            I know it’s not even summer yet but it’s already becoming warm and humid in north Georgia. I find myself dreaming of cooler, drier places like Scotland. Today’s painting is based on photos I took from the car as we drove towards Glen Coe, Scotland. The area before you get to the glen includes a beautiful river that flows through rolling hills. It’s a less dramatic but nonetheless beautiful area.

Where the Path Leads Me

“Where the Path Leads Me”            Pastel          9” x 12”           $100          © Sharon Lewis
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             During a presentation on some of my art that I gave two weeks ago, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed painting the Glen Coe area in Scotland. It’s such a strikingly beautiful mix of majestic, rocky mountains rising steeply from lush, grassy meadows. We didn’t have much time when we passed through this area but I would have loved to walk the path shown here to see where it led. I think I would have seen some small waterfalls running down the hillside, maybe some sheep, and even some wildflowers…. not a bad walk in my opinion.

            Hope wherever you are, that the snow has fled, the birds have returned, and the flowers are blooming.

            Have a happy spring weekend!