Happy 4th of July!

 “4^th of July Weekend”    12” x 18”    Pastel    $324    © Sharon Lewis

             I hope wherever you are this weekend, that you get a chance to enjoy sunshine, good food, and time with family and friends.

            Happy 4^th of July Weekend!

Sunny Skies At Last

“Sunny Skies At Last”   7.5 x 10     Pastel    $160    © Sharon Lewis

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             I just got back from visiting family up north where it rained every day. I got back home just in time for it to rain every day here. In desperation I decided to paint sunny skies.

            I hope wherever you are, there are sunny skies above.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Where I Want To Be In August

“Where I Want To Be In August”  5 x 7     Pastel    $105    © Sharon Lewis

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I started this painting on location on the coast of Maine and then forgot it was in my studio until now. I wasn’t happy with it because I found it to be a bit boring. So, I worked on the sky to make the clouds more interesting and added some of the sailboats that were out that day.

Happy Week!

 

Good Friends

“Good Friends”    5 x 7     Oil    $105    © Sharon Lewis

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             There’s nothing like meeting with a good friend to laugh, gossip, and catch up on all that’s important. 

            Happy Weekend!

 

Happy Mother's Day!

“Blanket Flowers”   12 x 9    Pastel    $ 216    © Sharon Lewis   

I want to celebrate my daughter this year, who welcomed her second daughter just 4 weeks ago. She’s an amazing mother of two kids under two!

I also want to celebrate my two nieces Jaci and Ali and my daughter-in-law Emily, all my friends who are mothers, and all those kind souls who mother others with kindness and support. You make the world brighter for your presence.

Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!

 

Going Sledding

“Going Sledding”      8 x 10     Pastel    $160    © Sharon Lewis
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            This painting is loosely based on a photo of a snowfall several years ago in the Atlanta area. Given that snow is not that common here in the south, we react differently from my northern family and friends.  We get out and enjoy the snow since everything shuts down at once. Everyone, including adults, grabs something that remotely resembles a sled (garbage can lids, trays, cardboard), finds a hill (plentiful here in the foothills of the Appalachians), and goes sledding. 

Happy Weekend!

 

Last Impression

   “Last Impression”    7 x 5     Pastel    $105    © Sharon Lewis

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                       Last summer I was fortunate to stay at a lovely rental house on the coast of Maine. The house had beautiful views of the ocean from the deck and Reid State Park nearby. Reid State Park was essentially two beaches enabling long walks with gorgeous sea, sand, and skies everywhere you looked. I really didn’t want to leave this place. 

            This was the very last painting I did. I needed to pack up all my art supplies which was going to take a while so I didn’t have much time. The view down these rocks was partially obscured by shrubbery but with the magic of art, I whisked that away and painted the glimpses I could see. It was a little more impressionistic than my usual paintings but it was one of my favorite ones of the trip.

            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! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

 

Dunes Walk

 “Dunes Walk”         8 x 10     Oil    $160    © Sharon Lewis

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            I’ve always been attracted to the play of light and shadow on the landscape. However, when we stopped at this National Recreation area, I thought I wouldn’t be able to find anything worth photographing, given how intense the sunlight was. Then I saw these dark shadows falling across a path, contrasting with the bright sand giving me my inspiration for this painting.

            Happy Weekend!

 

Summer in the Mountains

“Summer in the Mountains”    6 x 8     Oil    $144    © Sharon Lewis

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            It was a beautiful summer night when I was lucky enough to have this view. The sun was setting beyond the mountains and flinging beautiful colors up into the sky. The clouds starting drifting lower until they started to hide the tops of the mountains. The air was rapidly cooling as the colors grew more intense and then gradually faded away. 

            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!

 

Delightful Diversity

“Delightful Diversity”    8 x 10     Oil    $200    © Sharon Lewis
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            When I decided to paint this scene, I didn’t really stop to consider the difficulty of painting so many different shades of green. However, once I began painting, I just got into painting all the beautiful textures and forms of the trees and plants in this park. Although each plant is green it differs subtly from some of the plants around them. This reminds me of how delightfully different we all are and yet, in the end, we are all humans, worthy of kindness, respect, and compassion. I admire the people of Minneapolis who are going out of their way to help their neighbors. They are demonstrating through their sacrifices, what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.

            Have a safe and 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!

 

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!

 

Loving Pink

“Loving Pink”      10 x 10     Oil    $ 225    © Sharon Lewis

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            With these grey days and the news getting increasingly scary and heartbreaking, I find myself trying to focus on something beautiful. When I go grocery shopping (a chore I hate for some reason), I treat myself to some flowers. I tell myself that I’m investing in a painting subject (which is true in this case) but sometimes, I just need to a reminder of the wonderful fragrance and colors of nature.

            Happy Weekend!

 

The Colors of the Season - Happy New Year!

“The Colors of the Season”        9” x 9”         Pastel         $160      © Sharon Lewis

On these cold winter days, I hope you’re warmed by the company of those you love. Wishing you a Happy New Year and in the words of an Irish blessing: May love and laughter light your days and warm your hearth and home.

 

"Cool Company" - Merry Christmas!

“Cool Company”    Pastel      8” x 10”    $160     © Sharon Lewis

            I hope wherever you are, there are blue skies, the laughter of children, and the warmth of family and friends.

To all my family and friends that celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas and as always, Happy Weekend!

 

Winter Sunshine

    

“Winter Sunshine”        7 x 5     Oil    $105    © Sharon Lewis
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            Sunflowers are fun to paint any time of year but they’re especially so when winter brings us grey skies and cold temperatures. I did a deep dive into all things interesting about sunflowers and I’ll share just a few. I discovered that in addition to being beautiful, the sunflower provides us with sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, and is a symbol of the sun god in some cultures. Wild sunflowers produce many flowers on each plant but small seeds and the domesticated varieties produce a single large flower and larger seeds. Sunflowers are considered heliotropic in that they follow the path of the sun through the day. Finally, they can remove toxic elements from the soil, like lead and uranium, which is pretty amazing. So sunflowers are both beautiful and beneficial. 

            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!