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“Winter Warmth” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Walking in the winter can bring its own special beauty and warmth. Although by late November, the deciduous trees have lost their orange, red, and gold leaves, they leave behind soft mauves and violets. And those winter skies! When the air is clear, the humidity low, and the timing just right, you may see a glorious sunset sky!
Happy Weekend!
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“Celebration” 6” x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I want to celebrate all my family and friends who are mothers as well as all those kind souls who mother others with kindness and support. You make the world brighter for your presence.
Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!
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“Where the Great Heron Feeds” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis SOLD |
It’s that time of year when I seem to spend far too much of my time evaluating others; my least favorite aspect of teaching. It’s also one of the most beautiful times of year, when I would most like to, as Wendell Berry wrote :
“…go
and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.” Ahhhh, maybe sometime soon?
Happy Weekend!
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“Beach in Repose” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
So many of us love to walk on a beach and I’m certainly one of them. I find however, that I like it best when I’m not distracted by a ton of people; when I can walk at sunset and listen to the rhythmic sound of the sea, watch the tiny sea birds grabbing dinner while dodging the waves, and enjoy the beauty of the sky unfolding before me. What’s your favorite time to be on the beach?
Hope there’s a beach in your future and have a Happy Weekend!
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“The Wonder of Discovery” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis SOLD |
I took a few, much-needed days off recently and visited the beautiful, South Carolina coast. It’s early in the season with the water too cold for swimming but it’s a perfect time to walk on the beach searching for yet more sea shells (some might say I have way too many already). Having grown up on the Florida coast and spending my childhood at the beach I remember exploring what the water left behind with such wonder…at the shells, the tiny crabs, the sea glass; everything was an exciting discovery to a young child…and I’ll admit, still is for this much older adult.
Happy Weekend!
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“Cove, Early Morning” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Sometimes I’m drawn to the play of light and shadow in nature. Light can create such interesting contrasts and the same colors can be almost magically transformed and brightened by light or dulled into some hard-to-recognize color in the shadows.
And sometimes, I just love looking at a scene like this, with the water flowing off into distant, unknown realms and I imagine and wonder where it might lead me.
Happy Weekend!
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“Sky Bloom” 6.5” x 9.25” Pastel $70 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I love the quiet, the hush of early morning; the promise of the whole day before me, the sounds of birds’ sleepy calls as each awakens with the light. And if I’m lucky, I see the early morning sky bloom with glorious color.
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“Resting in the Grace of the World” 9” x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
How an artist chooses what to paint can be a reflection of what she/he loves or in reaction to something going on in their life, or simply something that caught their eye. In my case, I had planned to paint one kind of painting and was looking through reference photos when my eye was caught by some very different photos I took one evening. I’ve always been drawn to dramatic contrasts of light and shadow and I can never resist an opportunity to paint skies and ocean. What’s one of the many cool aspects of the painting process for me is how immersed you get not only in the painting process but in the scene as well. You start remembering the quiet sounds of the now gentle waves, the smell of the salt in the air, and all of those beautiful colors as the sun disappears over the horizon.
Happy Weekend!
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“Beautiful Oasis” 9” x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I’d love to be here in this beautiful oasis, where I’d be watching the light slowly fade from a gorgeous sky, listening to the birds calling good night, and reveling in the thought that I could do all of this again tomorrow.
Happy Weekend!
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“A Brand New Morning” 9x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Once again, I’m “visiting” one of my favorite places – the coast of Maine. There’s something both peaceful and relaxing about a beautiful sunrise here, and also a little exciting. It’s the start of a brand-new day so who knows what will happen?
Happy Weekend!
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“Ephemeral Beauty” 9x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
The photos I used as references for this painting were taken while I was being bombarded by hordes of hungry mosquitoes, who totally ignored the insect repellant I was wearing. Maybe because the summers in Maine are so short, the mosquitoes are incredibly determined to get their ounce of blood, or at least that’s what it feels like. I know that the gorgeously colorful scene unfolding in front of me was worth all the itchy bites I would discover later. These stunning sunrises are the reason that I, a non-morning person, am willing to get up at the first glimmer of light to capture the ephemeral beauty of the skies.
Happy Weekend!
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“Morning Has Broken” 9” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I never get over how beautiful the quality of light is in the morning! Of course, I’ll have to admit as much as I love to study this quality of light, I will never, ever become a morning person! However, in the summers, if I have traveled to a place of beauty, it’s so worth it to wake up early just to see the morning light breaking over the water and listen to the gradually increasing chorus of the birds.
Happy Weekend!
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“East Coast Morning” 9” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I’m definitely not a “morning person” so you would think that I would have seen very few sunrises, but I’ve seen hundreds. Usually it’s because I’m in a different part of the world or region of the country with an interesting view out my window and I’m just intensely curious about how the early morning light will transform the scene. Or maybe it’s just that I could use a beautiful view like this to be willing to get up at 4:00am just to catch the first light.
Happy Weekend!
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“A Different Perspective” 9” x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
We had hoped to go whale watching that day but all of the tours were booked so we decided instead to get on a boat going around the coast of Portland, Maine. Since I love any excuse to be on the water, it was more fun than I expected. What I hadn’t expected was the magnificent view of the sun setting on the water. Everywhere the boat traveled we saw a different view of the sunset. It reminds me of how important travel is to me; not only because of the opportunity to take thousands of photos of striking landscapes but the opportunity afforded to the traveler to gain a different perspective….to see the both the beauty and the challenges people of a particular region or part of the world face.
Happy Weekend!
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“Solace Sunset ” 6.5” x 9.5” Pastel $65 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
We were coming back from a wonderful relaxing weekend at the beach and I knew it would be the last trip we’d be taking for many months. I was feeling a little sorry for myself, thinking of all of the work I was coming back to when I happened to look out the window just in time to see this beautiful sunset reflecting onto the water. It was the perfect solace, a kind of gift to store in my memory for months to come.
Happy Weekend!
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“Taking a Nature Break” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase
I’ve been feeling like I really need a nature break lately. The weather has been bad for days and so I haven’t been able to get out to walk or run. Instead, I’ve spent all of my time basking in the unnatural glow of florescent lights. I find I am so much better able to deal with all of the challenges that come with teaching in the middle of a pandemic if I can get outside for 30 minutes or better yet for an hour. It renews my spirit and strengthens my resilience. Happy Weekend! |
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“Let’s Go For a Walk” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I was searching for inspiration last weekend and found myself coming back over and over again to photos of this tranquil scene in coastal South Carolina. My reference photos were taken on a beautiful day last March, before all of the craziness of the pandemic had descended upon us. I was taking a much-needed break from grading, meetings, and relentlessly long work days. I remember just delighting in the feel of the sun on my face, the scent of the sea in the breeze, and the sight of the tiny sandpipers darting madly, back and forth, gathering food while trying to avoid being washed away by the incoming waves. I can’t wait to go back!
Happy Weekend!
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“By the Sea” 9” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
This scene looks so peaceful and relaxing which is the exact opposite of my life right now. When I paint scenes like this, it often feels like I’m transported temporarily to this place. While I’m painting, I can remember the smell of the sea air, the sound of the gulls, and the sight of beautiful clouds like these floating lazily overhead.
Happy Weekend!
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“New Dawn Blooming” 12” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I borrowed today’s painting title from the poem read by the first youth poet laureate, Amanda Gorman. If you want to read the poem, The Hill We Climb” in its entirety, you can find it here. What an inspiring young woman and a wonderful poem! I loved the way she ended it with:
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it
Here’s to hope, a better future, and a Happy Weekend!
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| “Sunset Reflections” 9” x 12” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis |
The sun was setting behind me when I took the photos of this sky and rather than turn and photograph the sunset, I’ve learned that the eastern sky at sunset is often more interesting. I can frequently see all of the colors of the sunset mirrored in the clouds, giving you a constantly changing reflection of the glorious, fading light.
Happy Weekend!
