Summer Snacks

 “Summer Snacks”       11 x 14     Pastel    $300     © Sharon Lewis

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             I wish I knew why I love painting pears so much. Sometimes I think it’s because, like clouds, I can see a multitude of beautiful colors in them. Maybe it’s because pears come in such different shapes and sizes – much like people. It could be because I enjoy painting rounded but slightly irregular shapes – again like people. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed painting these three pears.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Sunflowers

 

“Sunflowers”    12 x 612    Pastel    $300    © Sharon Lewis
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I’ve been busy working on several paintings at the same time. This is one I started in a workshop at my arts conference last week and came home and worked on a bit.

Happy Weekend!

Beautiful Abundance

               

“Beautiful Abundance”        11 x 14    Oil    $300   © Sharon Lewis

                  There’s an ongoing drought in the southern part of Georgia right now and like many places prone to drought, there are currently wildfires. Perhaps this is why I was drawn to paint this abundance of water in the form of this beautiful waterfall. We found this one summer on a hike through the countryside.

                   Happy Weekend!

Pink Mums

“Pink Mums”    14 x 11     Pastel    $260    © Sharon Lewis
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I find that if I want to continue to grow as an artist, it’s a good idea to take a class or workshop from time to time. It’s not that easy to try another artist’s method when I’m used to my own, but I’ve discovered that I often end up adopting at least one idea or technique from the  array presented,  I often gain a different perspective or learn an alternative approach to painting, and I always meet some wonderful kindred souls in these classes.

I started this painting in a class taught by Margaret Dyer, an amazing figure painter.

Happy Weekend!

 

Finding the Light

  “Finding the Light”        14 x 11     Pastel    $300    © Sharon Lewis
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                      I ran across an older social media post where I referenced Amanda Gorman’s poem, The Hill We Climb, and thinking of those in Minneapolis, I want to share these words: 

We will rise from the golden hills of the West.

We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.

We will rise from the sun-baked South…

We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.

And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.

When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid.

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.

I have great admiration for all the people out in the bitter, Minnesotan cold, helping their immigrant neighbors.

Happy Weekend!

 

In the In-Between

“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!

 

Beach Promenade

“Beach Promenade”   11” x 14”           Pastel            $300      © Sharon Lewis

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            I’m looking at lead gray skies with cold rain in the forecast so I wouldn’t mind being on a beach like this right now. I can feel the warm sun on my face and see the billowing clouds ahead and a sparkling turquoise sea on my right. Ahhhh, this is the way to celebrate January!

            Happy Weekend!

 

Bright Beginning

  “Bright Beginning”       11” x 14”           Pastel            $300      © Sharon Lewis

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            This is my first painting of the new year and not surprisingly, I chose one of my favorite painting subjects: a sky full of beautiful color and light. I wanted to convey my overall optimistic feelings about the new year in spite of some of the sad and terrible things happening in the world. May this new year bring peace, sufficient food, and safe shelter to those who need it the most.  

            Happy Weekend and Happy New Year!

 

Yaquina from Afar

Yaquina from Afar              Pastel                  18” x 24”                 $300               © Sharon Lewis

            Somehow I have ended up painting a lighthouse series without consciously deciding to do so. I don’t know if it’s just because I have a love of lighthouses (I do) or because I had decided a few weeks ago to paint on larger surfaces whenever I could and lighthouses seemed perfect for a larger format. Either way, this is the second of three lighthouse paintings I’ve done recently. I wanted to do this painting, which I based on some of my photos of the west coast, because I love the lighthouse silhouetted against this magnificent blue sky. It also shows how tiny the lighthouse and the living quarters appear compared to the size of the land it sits on. As small as it looks, this is Oregon’s tallest lighthouse and is made up of 370,000 bricks and has stood steadfast through winds and storms since 1872.

            Happy Almost Weekend!

Who Do You Think Lives Here?

“Hidden Valley”        18” x 24”       Pastel       $300        © Sharon Lewis 
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             When I took the photo that I used as a reference for this painting I was so focused on the gorgeous light falling on the mountains that I didn’t notice until much later that someone lives in this beautiful hidden valley. I can’t help wondering who this person or people are. Are they sheepherders? Are they eking out a living on a small farm? What must it be like to live in this valley, far from any neighbors, surrounded by mountains when the winter snows come? I imagine that however lonely it might be, you would have the most amazing view of this beautiful valley hidden amongst these magnificent mountains.

            I hope wherever you are, you’re enjoying the beautiful light of these early September days.