Artists are So Easily Seduced

“Evening Light”   2.5” x 3.5”   Pastel    $20   © Sharon Lewis
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           Sometimes, when I’m thinking about what I enjoy painting, I start making a mental list. I love to paint skies, clouds, oceans, mountains, and then I have to stop myself before the list gets any longer because what I really love to paint is light. I can so easily be drawn to (or seduced by ) any subject if the light is just right. I believe the famous painter Vermeer was similar if you look some of his paintings. For example, look at how so often he takes a simple scene (See “The Geographer”, “The Milkmaid”,  “Woman in Blue Reading a Letter” or  one of my very favorite paintings, “Woman Holding a Balance”) and makes it beautiful because he poses the subject close to a window and shows you how the light absolutely transforms his subject. 

            When I was traveling this summer I noticed how the early evening light transformed ordinary roads and buildings into objects of beauty. This small painting is an example of how this beautiful light transformed grays into purples and dull browns into vivid oranges.

           

           I hope wherever you are, that you experience some transformative light. Happy Weekend!

  

Stupendous Starfish, Blustery Beach

"Starfish Beach"    5" x 7"    Pastel     $50    © Sharon Lewis 
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             A couple of summers ago, in an effort to escape the heat and humidity of the east coast, we traveled to the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia and stayed in a beautiful area called Tofino.  The painting today is of a beach in Tofino that was usually cold and windy but beautiful and that had the most amazingly colored starfish tucked in at the base of the rocks, all along the shore. There were orange starfish wrapped around yellow ones, and purple ones mixed in with pink; they were gorgeous!

Looking for a Caldron of Clouds

Plein Air Clouds    Pastel     2.5" x 3.5"     $20      © Sharon Lewis

Plein Air Clouds #2     Pastel     2.5" x 3.5"     $20        © Sharon Lewis

Plein Air Clouds #3    Pastel    2.5" x 3.5"     $20     © Sharon Lewis

         I think I have never grown out of my early fascination with clouds. I remember as a child lying on my back in the grass (grass stains and dirty clothes never an issue back then) and staring at clouds seeing all sorts of animals and other cool things up in the sky. Especially during hurricane season, there were fast moving, powerful-looking storm clouds that would bubble up, like some huge caldron of clouds soon to boil over or explode….great entertainment for a child.

       Now I still walk around staring up at the sky, always on the look out for interesting clouds. The paintings above are quick studies I did at the beach over Labor Day.

       Hope your weekend is filled with glorious clouds and skies.      

Swiss Shadows

“Swiss Shadows”     12” x 12”      Pastel      $175       © Sharon Lewis
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            We were hiking in the mountains near Montreux, Switzerland, in search of cooler temperatures when I saw this striking pattern of light and shadow. It wasn’t until later that I noticed that there were homes tucked into those shadowed valleys.  I can’t help but wonder what it must be like to live here with mostly sheep and mountain voles for company but also the most fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.

Hidden Beauty

“Hidden Beauty”      9” x 12”      Pastel    $100    © Sharon Lewis
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            We found this waterfall only because we also stumbled across a wonderful little ice cream/bakery/deli shop (Den Gronen) overlooking the water (Hardangerfjord) in Ulvik, Norway. The shop is run by a very friendly and interesting English couple who gave us lots of information on the local area (as well as great food). They had fully explored all the back roads in and around Ulvik, Norway and told us about a beautiful waterfall that we should stop and see.         

           Without their directions, we would have driven through this beautiful mountainous area and likely never noticed it. The waterfall was tucked into the mountainside with no place to stop and park a car so we just made a space by pulling off the road as far as we could. By the time we found the waterfall, it was so late in the day that no one else was around. So, we had the place to ourselves with the late afternoon light spilling over the mountainside and shining into this small grove with this beautiful waterfall. What a wonderful find and all thanks to the couple who run Den Gronen!

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. 

Bittersweet Beach Memories

“Beach Memories”       9” x 12”      Pastel      $100     © Sharon Lewis
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             Labor Day weekend is always bittersweet. There’s the joy of being at the beach, with the gentle sea breezes, the cries of the gulls, the hypnotic rhythm of the waves breaking on the shore. There’s the fun of surfing the waves over and over again just like I did when I was a child growing up in Florida. But then there’s the slow realization that it will probably be many, many months before we see the beach again. As much as I enjoy the advent of cooler, drier weather, I love these long days of light and I feel so lucky to live close enough to the east coast that the beach is just a relatively short drive away.

            Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!