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“Summer Sky” 2.5 x 3.5 Pastel $26 © Sharon Lewis
I’ve been away visiting family for a while but I had a little break to work on this summer sky. Skies with beautiful clouds remain one of my favorite subjects to paint.
Happy Weekend!
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“Alexander Lake” 9” x 12” Pastel $216 © Sharon Lewis
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This is a painting of Alexander Lake in Panola Mountain State Park, a place I love to hike in the fall, winter, and spring. I’ve seen some of the most spectacular sunsets when walking there in the winter. It’s almost as if Mother Nature compensates us for the short hours of light with a gorgeous light show at the end of the day. Happy Weekend!
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“In the In-Between” 11” x 14” Pastel $300 © Sharon Lewis
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I’ve mentioned before how much I love looking at and painting skies and as often as I paint them, you’d think I’d find them easy. Sometimes they are but more often I struggle to paint them in a way that fully conveys how gorgeous I find them. One of the times when they are especially gorgeous is that time in-between sunset and full night when the sky is often filled with this last, quick, intense display of beautiful light and color. Hope you enjoy!
Happy Weekend!
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“Autumn at Alexander” 8” x 10” Pastel $160 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Before I left for Thanksgiving, I went for a 5 mile walk at Panola Mountain State Park – one of my favorite places to walk. Even when I’m feeling a little stressed with the long hours of work this time of year, walking here always calms me. The sunsets in the fall and winter tend to be gorgeous, with the sun reflecting a warm, golden light on the water. By the time I finish my walk, I feel renewed, a little more optimistic about the work ahead, and very grateful that I can enjoy this beautiful place.
Happy Weekend!
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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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“ Saluting the Sun” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
On this, the first sunny day after what seems like countless gray, rainy days, I want to celebrate blue skies! This is a late summer sky, with the sun setting in a blaze of color over a beautiful marsh.
Happy Weekend!
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“Pirouette” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis |
Long ago, when I used to take ballet, I dreamt of someday becoming a famous ballerina. I loved spinning around performing pirouettes over and over again, imagining that I did so “en pointe” (meaning balancing on my toes). When I saw this cloud formation recently, I couldn’t help but think of clouds performing a graceful pirouette reaching into the farthest reaches of the sky.
Happy Weekend!
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“Celestial Celebration” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Everywhere I travel my eyes are always on the clouds in the sky and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of studying their many colors and shapes. In reviewing my many photos of the sky from my recent trip to New Mexico, I kept thinking that this looked like a celebration; like there was some giant, gorgeous, celestial party going on and I, and anyone else looking up, was free to enjoy it.
Hope your weekend is a happy one!
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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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“Early Evening in the Wetlands” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
One of my favorite coastal areas to visit is the Isle of Palms, a narrow barrier island near Charleston, SC. It’s driving distance from Atlanta so it’s great for short getaways and walking the beach there I’ll see far more birds than people this time of year. On the way to Isle of Palms, I pass beautiful wetlands, filled with a variety of birds. This is a painting of these wetlands in the early evening, with the setting sun just kissing the water with the last light.
Happy Weekend!
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“Still Light” 5” x 7” Pastel $50 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
That quiet time at the end of the day when the bird calls diminish or they call “See you later, it’s been fun!” …when the sun inches closer to the horizon, off to brighten someone else’s day, when the water and the wind still after playing madly all afternoon. That’s what I’m trying to capture here….the quiet, the stillness of near-night, almost darkness but still light.
Happy Weekend!
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“Soft Music at Sunset” 9” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Walking along a beach at sunset is wonderful for it’s that time when all the kids and sunbathers have left to enjoy their dinners or their cocktails (only the adults we hope). It’s when you become more aware of the soft sounds of the waves breaking on the shore and the tiny chirps of the sandpipers. The gulls are finally in silent repose on the beach, waiting for the return of free meals unwittingly provided by inexperienced visitors. And while you’re enjoying the soft music of the beach at sunset, you’re treated to the gorgeous display of the skies.
Happy Weekend!
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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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“As Evening Draws Close” 11” x 14” Pastel $175 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Sometimes, as the evening draws close, and the light begins to fade, the sun may gift you with one last, spectacular show of light. It’s usually brief but if you’re attentive, you may be presented with one last dazzling display of light and color that sets the land aglow.
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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“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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| “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!
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“Sunrise” 9” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I have loved studying the sky with its constantly changing clouds since I was a child. I can remember many a time after hours of us playing hard in the sticky, humid air of southern Florida, we would fling ourselves on the cool grass…either ours or some tolerant neighbor’s, and stare up into the sky while sipping juice from a tangerine we’d picked from a nearby tree. Then ensued what passed for a serious discussion when you’re 6 or 7, on what the clouds looked like…a puppy! No, an angel! No, a flower! No, it looks like your brother! And on and on until we did our own childish version of agreeing to disagree.
I think memories like this sustain us and remind us that once, we knew how to disagree peacefully and we can remember how to do so again.
Happy Weekend!
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“Rise Up” 9” x 9” Pastel $100 © Sharon Lewis SOLD |
Sometimes a painting title eludes me and other times a painting smacks me in the face with its name. This one seemed to reach out and sing softly, my name is “Rise Up” and I remembered this great song by Andra Day with the same title. The lyrics are inspiring and quite relevant while Andra Day’s voice is wonderful!
Happy Weekend!
