The Early Birds Get the Sunrise

 “The Early Birds Get the Sunrise”  12” x 9”  Pastel  $100  © Sharon Lewis

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            I love to sleep in in the morning and I love the colors of a beautiful sunrise. These two things are incompatible but I make it work. I’m fine with getting up around 4:30am to capture photos of a sunrise in a beautiful location and then go back to sleep with the sounds of happy birds rejoicing in another spectacular start to a summer morning.

            Happy Weekend and may all your mornings be spectacular!

 

 

Beautiful Morning

“Beautiful Morning”      9” x 9”       Pastel       $100       © Sharon Lewis

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This time of year, Maine is a wonderful place to be. The month of June is usually mild with cool mornings, and there are sunrises worth getting up absurdly early for, since they often involve a gorgeous explosion of color like this.

Happy Weekend!

 

Solstice Sunset

  “Solstice Sunset”       10” x 18”       Pastel       $225     © Sharon Lewis
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            I’ve always been fascinated by the solstice and when I read that the sunsets are longest on this special day, it started to make more sense. I found out that it actually takes more minutes for the body of the sun to sink below the horizon which means on the solstice, we have more time to enjoy all of the beautiful colors of a sunset. Of course that meant that I just had to create a longer than usual painting of a sunset on the solstice. Hope you enjoyed your solstice wherever you were.

            Happy Weekend!

Banner of Crimson

 “Banner of Crimson”      12” x 9”     Pastel      $100     © Sharon Lewis
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              It was a beautiful, peaceful evening in the month of June. There was time to enjoy the cool breeze from the water, the sound of the waves lapping gently at the rocks below, the taste of a delightful wine, and the sight of tiny ducklings being shepherded by their parents to safety for the night. To top it off, there were these glorious colors playing across the sky as the sun traveled towards the horizon. This is where I’d love to be right now!

            Happy Weekend!

Look for the Silver Lining

“Look for the Silver Lining”     8” x 8”    Pastel       $70     © Sharon Lewis
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I have to give credit for today’s painting title to songwriters Bud DeSylva and Jerome Kern. The lyrics may be a little corny but nonetheless uplifting so I’m sharing them with you today. If you’d rather hear them sung I’ve included links to two versions, the first sung in the 20’s by Marilyn Miller and Alexander Gray and the second later in the 40’s by Judy Garland.

            Happy Weekend!

Look for The Silver Lining Lyrics

Look for the silver lining
Whenever a cloud appears in the blue
Remember, somewhere the sun is shining
And so the right thing to do is make it shine for you

A heart full of joy and gladness
Will always banish sadness and strife
So always look for the silver lining
And try to find the sunny side of life

A heart full of joy and gladness
Will always banish sadness and strife
So always look for the silver lining
And try to find the sunny side of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOthCD8n0mA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFITLxanHoU

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!

In the Wee, Small Hours of the Morning

“In the Wee, Small Hours of the Morning”    Pastel     12” x 12”     $175     © Sharon Lewis
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            Dawn comes early in Maine, at least in the summertime. I was lucky one morning to wake up early enough to capture the beauty of that time right before sunrise, when the sky is various shades of peach, and purple, and pink, and it’s oh so very quiet and peaceful.

            Apologies to David Mann and Bob Hilliard for borrowing the title of their song (which I love) for this painting.

Happy Weekend!

The Journey

“The Journey”        Pastel             9” x 12”            $100          © Sharon Lewis 
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            I was saddened to hear this week that the poet, Mary Oliver had died. In the last several years, I’ve had various friends bring her work to my attention and each time, it seems to be when I most needed to hear her words. I’m so grateful for how Mary Oliver could articulate and illuminate life’s truths in such a beautiful way.  Now, more than ever, in the midst of such sad ugliness, we need our poets....and maybe our artists as well. The title of this painting is in tribute to her poem, Journey.

            Happy Weekend!

Summer Moon

“Summer Moon”      Pastel        5” x 7”       $50     © Sharon Lewis
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            I remember catching a beautiful sunset, after eating a delicious dinner overlooking the ocean. The night was cool with gentle breezes….just a bit different from this sweltering, sticky August evening in Georgia. Oh well, there’s always next year!

            Happy Weekend!

Sightseeing

“Sightseeing”   Pastel       8” x 10”       $75     © Sharon Lewis

            This gull had the perfect position for seeing approaching lobstermen or women, fish swimming below, or maybe she/he was just enjoying the view as I was on a beautiful day in Maine.

            Happy Weekend!

Day is Done

“Day is Done”     Pastel       12” x 18”       $250     © Sharon Lewis

 

            Down the road from our favorite place to eat out when we’re in Maine is a beautiful cove with absolutely beautiful sunsets. It also has an awful lot of mosquitoes. So, if I want to get the best photos to paint from, I need to stand still with lots of visits from very determined mosquitoes. I think the view is worth it, don’t you?

            Happy Weekend!

Oranges on Vacation

“Oranges on Vacation”    Oil        5” x 7”       $60     © Sharon Lewis
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            These oranges were such a brilliant orange that I had to paint them! I found a beautiful bowl owned by our host and placed them outside on our deck. I wanted the beautiful blue of the water on a sunny day to contrast with all of the different shades of orange in the fruit. It was so much fun to paint that I painted them first in pastel and later in oils.

            Happy Weekend!

Rocky Path

“Rocky Path”     Pastel     5” x 7”       $50     © Sharon Lewis 
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            Just a few days ago I was enjoying cool breezes, and painting on location in Maine. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love painting rocks of any type as well as the ocean. I was searching for a slightly different perspective than the one I usually paint while here on Bailey Island, ME. I found that if I set up my easel and stood squeezed in between some trees, the formerly jagged-looking rocks now appeared to form a rocky path. I could paint these rocks and the ocean a million times and still learn something new about their colors and textures! I feel so fortunate to have been able to escape the heat and humidity of Georgia and to enjoy painting this beautiful part of our country.

Acadia

“Acadia”          Pastel          5” x 7”       $50       © Sharon Lewis
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            Last year we visited Bar Harbor, Maine and stayed at the beautiful Coach Stop Inn, run by the inimitable Jim and Anna Brown. If you like staying in beautiful rooms, eating delicious food, and being treated like royalty, this is the place to stay.

Of course, like any visitor to the Bar Harbor area who loves nature, we visited Acadia National Park. According to the Park Service, which refers to Acadia as the “Crown Jewel of the Atlantic,” this park has the highest rocky headlands along the Atlantic coast, with 158 miles of hiking trails, and 45 miles of carriage roads with 16 stone bridges. I’ve visited this park many times over the years and I’m always discovering a new hike or view.

New England Refuge

“New England Refuge”        Pastel          10” x 10”          $125           © Sharon Lewis
N.F.S.

 

            It’s been raining here almost nonstop for days and so it was a relief to focus on a painting of a perfect sunny, summer day spent up north. We had gotten a little warm while we were hiking when we luckily discovered this perfect stream hidden in the woods. We soon were wading in and cooling off in an idyllic, restful spot. The only sounds heard were that of the birds in the trees up above and the water running over the rocks, in my mind, the perfect refuge.

We Three Trees

“We Three Trees”             Pastel             9” x 12”         $100       © Sharon Lewis
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            If you  celebrate Christmas and you’re realizing as I do that it’s only 3 (Yikes!) days away, you might appreciate this painting of some tranquil water surrounding these “Christmas” trees in a small bit of Maine woods.

            Happy Almost Holidays!

Gull at Inner Ledge

“Gull at Inner Ledge”            Pastel                5” x 7”               $50               © Sharon Lewis
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            This gull was just standing peacefully, gazing out into his or her domain, glowing in   the late afternoon sun. It would be so nice to be here, with the sounds of the angry political voices replaced by the rhythmic sounds of the waves and seabirds calling to each other.

Summer Garden Path

"Summer Garden Path"    Pastel      5" x 7"      $50     © Sharon Lewis
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            One of my favorite things to do when we visit Bailey Island, Maine each summer besides painting on location as I did here, is to visit all of the flowers blooming around the house. There are several different varieties of colorful peonies (some of which you can see on the left), a lilac bush, and several bushes of what I believe are antique or old roses. These are especially fragrant. From some preliminary research online I found out that the ones I painted on the right may be Rosa gallica officinalis, possibly the oldest rose in existence. It’s also apparently called the Apothecary’s Rose because healers used it to make medicinal remedies. I may have to do another painting later featuring this rose’s beauty more prominently.

            Happy Almost Weekend!

The Passing of EDL

"Going Home"          Pastel            12" x 16"         $200        © Sharon Lewis
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This week my father passed away and I find myself seeking comfort again in one of my favorite poems (slightly modified)  by Henry Van Dyke: 

           “….Then, someone at my side says, 'There, he is gone' 

           Gone where?
           Gone from my sight. That is all.

          And, just at the moment when someone says, 'There, he is gone,'
          there are other eyes watching him coming, and other voices
          ready to take up the glad shout, 'Here he comes!'
          And that is dying...”