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| “Summertime!” 5” x 5” Acrylic $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I was getting ready to finally throw away all the colorful masks I bought during COVID when I suddenly realized, I could repurpose them! I decided to cut them up and incorporate them into paintings in a variety of ways. In this painting, the young girl is wearing a dress made from a mask.
Happy Weekend! |
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| “Southwest Sunshine 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis |
I’m packing my art supplies in preparation for attending the International Association of Pastel Societies, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For a few days, I will take classes and a workshop so that I can continue to grow as an artist. I always find learning new methods and painting new subjects both exciting and humbling since this process always involves for me, having to accept that at least initially, my skill will not match my aspirations. I will be able to see where I want to be in terms of skill but need to accept that it will take time and practice to get there. Becoming a better painter is an endless series of lessons in patience and optimism. Now if I can just manage not to buy all the cool art supplies they’ll have on display!
Happy Weekend!
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“Beauty Contest” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis
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The trees where I live are almost bare now and I find myself longing for color in the landscape. Fortunately, I have lots of inspiration in my photographs of fall. This painting is based on photos taken during a weekend in the north Georgia mountains during peak apple season. I had a hard time deciding whether to feature the beautiful fall colors in the mountains or the gorgeous colors of the apples, so, I included both.
Happy Weekend!
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“Aerial Acrobatics” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis
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While I don’t enjoy the shorter days of this time of year, I do appreciate that I seem to catch more sunsets. This is a sunset I caught one fall, while visiting a place in New Jersey called Crow Creek Farm, now known as the Sperlak Gallery and Sculpture Gardens. This beautiful place is run by the talented landscape artist, Stan Sperlak and is a wonderful mixture of woods, meadows, and marsh. I was fortunate to see the setting sun set the distant woods glowing while clouds performed acrobatics above.
Happy Weekend!
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“Beautiful Without Regard” 9” x 7” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis
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Sometimes, I’m so enamored of the beautiful sky, trees, and water at a local park, that I forget to look down. After I finished a long walk recently, I took a moment to pause and look out across the blue water of one of the small lakes. Fortunately, I looked down and noticed these small, yellow wildflowers growing around the lake, almost glowing as they caught the light from the setting sun. I’m always amused when I realize that what we see as weeds are sometimes quietly beautiful wildflowers simply growing where we didn’t intend them.
Happy Weekend!
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“Autumn Glen” 5” x 9” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis
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For someone who loves a riot of color in the landscape. I’m in heaven during the fall and spring. Lately, I’ve been noticing so many trees that have taken on the stunning, vibrant cloak of fall. It makes my drive to and from work a visual delight and possibly hazardous as it’s hard for me not to focus on the beautiful scarlet, orange, and sunny yellow foliage. I love all these colors but I wonder if they are all the more precious because I know they are so briefly present.
Happy Weekend!
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“That Je Ne Sais Quoi” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis
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Today’s painting title comes from me trying to understand my love of the light you see at the end of a sunny day. It’s a wonderful, warm light that makes everything glow and appear more beautiful than earlier, in the full light of day. It’s that “je ne sais quoi”; that elusive quality in the light that although I can’t fully describe it, makes me stop just to watch how magnificently the setting sun transforms the landscape.
Happy Weekend!
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“Cue the Lights” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis
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I’ve always been drawn to high contrast scenes, where the sun illuminates features against a darker background. When I first saw this cliff face across the bay, the light was shining on it and I was transfixed. I ended up taking so many photos because it kept changing subtly depending on where I stood. I think this is one of the many reasons I became a landscape artist: because the natural world offers us a never-ending number of striking scenes to enjoy.
Happy Weekend!
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| “Harmony” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Although I’m primarily a landscape painter, I also love painting fruit. I love the rich, saturated colors in some fruits as well as the fun of modeling round, smooth objects so that you perceive a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface. It’s the magic of creating this illusion that I never get tired of.
Happy Weekend!
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“One Fine Day” 8 x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I feel a little guilty that I, an Irish-American, love Scotland so much – especially the Highlands. The Glencoe area is one of my favorite places there; the views are gorgeous and it’s a wonderful site for hiking. Almost anywhere in the Glencoe area, you’re surrounded by violet, craggy cliffs rising above velvety green hillsides and meadows. As long as you don’t mind a little light rain (that’s why it’s so green) and cool temperatures even in July, you’ll love hiking here as much as I do.
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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“The Hush Before Night Falls” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
That time after sunset and before night creeps in is a lovely time. It becomes increasingly quiet as the light fades from the sky. I love the peacefulness of this time though I also love the bird or two who sings out when the others have given up their concerts and loud parties. Eventually, even they become quiet and you hear only the hush before night falls.
Happy Weekend!
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“Wetland Waterway” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I’ve learned to appreciate the sometimes stark beauty of the wetlands in early spring. They are not yet the lush green they will become in the summer but are nonetheless beautiful to me with their sinuous, blue pathways of water. I’ve painted this small tree or large bush before, as it stands out above the low-growing marsh grasses. This time, I gave the tree some company, not too far away, standing patient watch (sentinel) over the wetlands.
Happy Weekend!
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“Food of the Gods” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
When contemplating what title to give this painting, I couldn’t help but think of Greek myths involving apples. In particular, I thought of Paris taking on the foolhardy task of choosing the most beautiful goddess and handing a special apple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. The apple he handed her promised immortality and anyone who ate it would never be hungry, thirsty, or ill. Then there’s the Celtic mythology that associates three apples (symbols of immortality, power, and prosperity) with the very important god, Lugh. So, whatever apples make you think of, I hope you enjoy these very cheerful and colorful apples.
Happy Weekend!
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“Sweet Hearts” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
Whenever we get close to celebrating Valentine’s Day, I have this urge to paint food. I especially love painting cupcakes because I have a great excuse to buy them; it always helps to paint from life (or at least that’s my excuse). I also love to paint them because the ones I love to eat are colorful and have all these interesting textures to capture.
Hope you had a sweet Valentine’s Day and have a Happy Weekend!
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“Southwest Sunshine 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
The colors I see whenever I visit the southwest always remind me of my childhood in southern Florida. In both places, you will find warm colored buildings, vivid flowering plants, and beautiful blue skies. It’s a wonderful combination to consider on a gray, cloudy winter’s day.
Happy Weekend!
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“Precious Wetlands” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
At first glance, coastal wetlands in early spring appear a rather boring brown or beige. It’s only after a closer look that you’re able to see all the beautiful colors of these marsh grasses. Wetlands provide such a helpful service to us all, sheltering wildlife and also helping to buffer the effects of storms. These are truly precious areas worth protecting.
Happy Weekend!
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“Will’s Favorite Color” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis |
May this new year bring you the warmth of family and friends, continued good health, and much happiness!
Happy New Year!
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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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“Sailing Away Again” 8” x 10” Pastel $75 © Sharon Lewis Click Here to Purchase |
I have a tendency to be drawn to certain images often depending on what’s going on in my life. When I’m feeling super busy, I’m often drawn to images of sailboats. Maybe this is a really obvious message that I’d like to sail away from the nonstop grading and frantic emails during final exams time?
No matter the reason, I’m drawn to this peaceful scene, where someone is lucky enough to be out on the water on a gorgeous day with a beautiful blue sky and fluffy, colorful clouds. Ahhhhh.
Happy Weekend!
