The Gift of Cherries

“The Gift of Cherries”    10 x 8     Oil    $160     © Sharon Lewis

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            I enjoy painting cherries because of the many shades of red you find in them, they taste amazing, and as I discovered recently, they’re also really healthy. They are a great source of vitamin C and polyphenols (plant compounds that protect us from developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases). In a 2018 review of the effects of cherries, researchers found that cherries reduced exercise-induced muscle soreness, blood pressure, arthritis, and improved sleep, among other things. Scientists concluded that eating sweet or tart cherries decrease or prevent oxidative stress and inflammation and thus improve our health. Who knew this really pretty fruit could do all this?

            Happy Weekend!

 

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!

A Night Out

“A Night Out”       10 x 10     Oil    $200   © Sharon Lewis

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            I started this painting years ago in a painting class taught by the talented artist, Karen Appleton.  I apparently made a very rough start, filed it away under other photos and paintings, and then got busy again with my day job. Unfortunately, my reference photo was terrible so I did my best to research what a gold purse would look like if spotlighted. Even given the challenges, this was a lot of fun to paint.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Lean on Me

  “Lean on Me”     8 x 10     Oil    $160     © Sharon Lewis

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            With all the grey, rainy weather lately, it’s a relief to be working on something colorful. Pears are fun to paint for their rounded shapes and their diverse colors. I love also how they can lean on one another helping each to stand steady, much like good friends. This week and every week, I am so grateful for the support of my friends. When things get scary, I know I can lean on them to help me stand steady. 

            A round of applause for good friends and Happy Weekend! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

 

Warm Colors in the Cold

 “Warm Colors in the Cold”      4 x 6     Oil    $70    © Sharon Lewis

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             I’ve been thinking a lot about good teachers lately. I’ve been lucky to have had good teachers in both my Psychology and my art careers. The teachers that stand out in my art career as being exceptional have been of course, excellent artists themselves but they have also been kind, especially when giving critical feedback (criticism is so important when you’re starting out but it can also be demoralizing). They’ve also been: generous (with both helpful information and praise), patient (as you continue to make that same mistake that they pointed out last time), good problem solvers (as they help you out of the mess you may have created), and passionate about art. I think of Karen Margulis when it comes to teaching pastel painting. She is one of the most dedicated and talented artist-teachers I know. I also think of Karen Appleton who no longer teaches oil painting but is an exceptional artist. I love her creativity, her kindness, and her compassion. I learned so much from these outstanding artists.  

The painting above is based on a modification of a still life that Karen Appleton set up for a class several years ago. 

Happy Weekend!

 

All That Glitters is not Gold

“All That Glitters is not Gold”     9 x 12     Pastel    $ 216    © Sharon Lewis

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            I love the glitter and bright colors of Christmas! As I gaze out my studio window upon bare and brown trees, I’m rejoicing in the colors of this holiday, especially the primary colors: red, blue, and yellow (gold). So, of course I had to do a painting of ornaments arranged in the primary color triad.

            Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope you’re finding some warm, bright colors in this season of cold.

            Happy Weekend!

 

The Colors of Autumn Remembered

“The Colors of Autumn Remembered”      8 x 10     Oil    $ 200    © Sharon Lewis

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             It’s grey and brown outside now and I long for the colors that were just here the other day – the reds, yellows, and greens decorating my backyard and neighborhood. So, I paint pears the colors of autumn, to remember the joy of bright colors in spite of the cold grey of winter. 

            Happy Weekend!

 

Autumn Bounty

“Autumn Bounty”       9” x 12”          Pastel         $216      © Sharon Lewis

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          I spent a wonderful October weekend in the North Georgia mountains several years ago. After hiking we found a great open-air market selling a variety of local produce including pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. The owners were happy to sell us their produce but were a little puzzled by me photographing it. This painting is based on that beautiful fall day and the bounty of autumn. 

            Happy Halloween and Happy Weekend!

 

Plum Beautiful

“Plum Beautiful”        6 x 6       Oil       $108        © Sharon Lewis

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            I found these beautiful plums in the grocery store some weeks ago and painted them from life. I noticed, like many things – and maybe like some people, they appeared perfect at first glance. It was only as I studied them and got to know them that I realized they had slight imperfections but were still beautiful. I think most of us are like that. Maybe we work hard to appear perfect, to hide our imperfections, because we’ve been taught they are signs of weakness. What I find interesting is that some of the most courageous people I know, are those who share their vulnerabilities. These are my brave and beautiful friends.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Small But Beautiful

“Small But Beautiful        3 x 3”       Oil        $25        © Sharon Lewis

            Even though I’m mostly a landscape artist, I love painting fruit from time to time. It’s easy to paint from life and if you don’t take too long to paint it, you have a healthy snack waiting for you in the end.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Erinn's Flowers

“Erinn’s Flowers”   8” x 10”       Pastel        $160        © Sharon Lewis

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             When I was visiting family recently, my son-in-law, Tyler surprised my daughter with these beautiful flowers. She placed them in a vase and put them on her kitchen island near a bowl of fruit. I loved the contrast between the beautiful blues and purples of the flowers and the lush red, yellow, and orange of the fruit and knew I wanted to paint it. And voila, here it is.

Happy Weekend! 

 

Three Cherries

    
“Three Cherries”      4” x 4”      Oil       $25   ©Sharon Lewis

Fruits of Summer

“Fruits of Summer”       5” x 7 ”       Oil        $122        © Sharon Lewis

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            As my free time increases somewhat, I’ve been eager to get back to painting in oils. I’m not as familiar with this medium as I am with pastels, so painting with this medium is a voyage of discovery – often one involving trial and lots of errors. However, I love being able to mix hundreds of different colors from a handful of tubes of paint and the challenge of creating the strokes and marks I want with brushes instead of sticks of solid pigment (pastels). It’s so much fun to have to time to try something different!

            Happy Weekend!

 

Spring Tidings

“Spring Tidings”      5” x 5”      Oil      $87     © Sharon Lewis

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I’ve had a long fascination with tulips because at every stage of blooming, they offer us interesting colors, patterns, and shapes. The tulips I’ve painted in oils this week are at some of these different stages. I love the contrast between their vivid, saturated colors, and the grays and browns of everything outside. 

Happy Weekend! Bring on Spring!

 

Spring Tulips

“Spring Tulips”   9x12        Pastel          $216        © Sharon Lewis

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I’ve been thinking about spring lately and that brings to mind tulips – one of my favorite flowers. There are so many colors and even within one tulip, so many variations in colors. I’m traveling this week so I’m sharing some tulips I painted several years ago.

Happy Weekend!

 

Sweet Hearts

“Sweet Hearts”          8x10        Pastel          $160        © Sharon Lewis

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             I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately – not only because of Valentine’s Day but also because of all that’s been going on in our country. I think this is a time to think of love as a choice that we can make – to love the stranger, the immigrant, the hungry, the unhoused, the one who is different from us. I struggle every day to not react with anger, hostility, or despair to the negative messages calling out to Americans to be the worst versions of ourselves. I think instead, I will focus on messages like these: Our strength is in our diversity and unity; Our superpower is our compassion; We choose kindness, inclusion, and equity, always; Service to others strengthens our community and our hearts. How about it? Think about showing up as the best version of yourself – the loving, kind, compassionate version of you.

            Happy Weekend and Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Party's Over

“The Party’s Over”     6” x 7”         Pastel        $108       © Sharon Lewis

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             I know the holidays are over but I’m one of those people who would gladly leave the Christmas decorations up through February. They are such a wonderful contrast to the browns and grays I see outside my window. Unlike the majority of my friends and family who can’t wait to put everything away, I continue to get great joy looking at the bright red, green, blue, and gold decorations. I know the “party’s over” but I will enjoy these bright, cheerful colors just for a few more days.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Pumpkin Party

   “Pumpkin Party”        8” x 10”         Pastel        $160       © Sharon Lewis

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             I enjoy painting pumpkins. I like trying to model the roundness and irregularities in their shapes and they also remind me that I love the color orange in nature. The color orange is a warm beacon as the temperatures gradually cool, and the leaves turn brown; it seems it’s nature’s accent color this time of year.

            Happy Weekend!

 

The Rose Family

 “The Rose Family”       8” x 10”         Pastel        $160       © Sharon Lewis

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I had no idea that apples were considered part of the rose family, Rosaceae. In addition to beautiful roses, this family also includes other delicious fruits  such as pears, cherries, peaches, strawberries, and several others. I love discovering new connections between things I love! 

By the way, the gold, sunshiny background I painted behind the apples was actually all the trees in their golden, fall foliage. This is one of the many reasons I wish fall colors lasted until spring.

Happy Weekend!