September 25, 2008

Photograph by Sharon Lee
2001

As quickly as spring turns to summer here in central Pennsylvania, summer turns to fall. The day light length is considerably shortened and I struggle to do my outside tasks (gardening, hiking, laundry) leaving enough daylight to paint. As the calendar moves towards the end of the year. I will begin to rely on synthetic light and will relearn, as I do every year, how to adjust colors to be valid in pure light.

One thing about painting with man-made light is that it actually is easier to see the details of what you are painting. Yes the color may be off but the way I set up the light in my studio there are no shadows cast and I fully see the canvas. In the long daylight months I often have to move the easel from place to place to avoid glares and shadows caused by natural sunlight-come December they're will be barely enough hours of daylight to create an issue.

Peace Always

Sharon

September 24, 2008

Todd Rundgren
playing Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band album
Seven Springs, PA
August 2008
photo by Sharon Lee

Still I am reeling from the impact of watching "God Grew Tired of Us" a couple of days ago. (See yesterday's post) All day long I tries to visualize a painting that expresses what I saw in that film. At the same time I question the impact visual arts has on people.

I'm a big music fan-have no musical skills yet music is a large part of my everyday life. I feel music expresses emotions and is powerful in the way that no other art is. I'm not sure what it is about music that gives it it's power but I know that no mater how one feels she/he can identify that emotion within the realm of music and find a connection.

One of my favorite musicians is John Lennon. Although as a Dad, husband & friend he may not have been a success, as a musician he expressed real feelings and emotions that I can feel connected to over and over again. It is said that John believed that he could change the world through his music. Although the messages of peace in the 70s never brought the peace he envisioned in his lifetime, the sentiment of wanted peace is still valid many years later.

Peace Always

Sharon

September 23, 2008

Last evening I watched an amazing documentary titled, "God Grew Tired of Us". It is a chronicle of several of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" who escaped a civil war, walked thousands of miles barefoot and ultimately ended exported to America as part of relief efforts. Anyone who has not seem this movies owes it to themselves to see how the "other half" lives.

All day long I have been reviewing the images I saw in this film and trying to figure out what I now do with this information. As an artist I am able to express myself via visual images. In the painting "Meanwhile "Back in the Congo" I used the contrast pridefulness I had after fixing my toilet with the realities of women living in Africa who were exposed to sexual assault, destruction of everything they hold dear and murder of friends and family.

I have yet decided what images will be used to express my experiences after seeing this film. My only hope is to pass on this information and hope together we can come up with a resolution for this horrible human tragedy.

Peace Always

Sharon

September 22, 2008

The Birth of Jana
2004
acrylic on plywood
30" x 26"


"The "Birth of Jana" was painted in 2004 after assisting with the birth of a friend of a friend. This was an unexpected assist, just happened to be at the right place and the right time.

I had been present at three births previously, including the birth of my daughter. It is an amazing albeit disgusting event with weird smells, fluids and bodily discharges. Yet when the alien-looking infant appears the sense of an actual miracle occurring permeates the room.

When Jana was born, her birth mother (she was adopted by anther couple) wanted her first sounds outside the womb to be the chanting of Tibetan monks which we set up to play through a laptop. A rose was used (in a vase-not in her mouth as depicted in the painting) as a focal point during the contractions. While my arm was being squeezed in the grip of labor contractions, I decided to paint "The Birth of Jana" and as soon as I caught up on sleep I started.

This painting currently resides in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania in a sitting room of a bed and breakfast.

Peace Always

Sharon

September 20, 2008

The Dishes Hadn't Been Done
1998
acrylic on metal tray
15" diameter

Because I am self employed, I realistically work seven days a week. Even a off day involves some amount of work for instance last Wednesday when my daughter and I took a day trip to Pittsburgh I needed to pack and ship two things through the United States Postal service and one item via UPS. I also took my camera with us in case I found something that was interesting to photograph for either my on going group of "arty" photos or something to add to my daily post.

Today I painted for most of the day. Paint time usually means something won't get done. In the case of today there were several things that were neglected: no walk in the woods with my dog, no gardening time and lastly the pile of dishes that were amassed today still remain unwashed.

I have been painting scenes from the hearth since my daughter was young and I began to paint some 14 years ago. Undone dishes have been part of my paintings including scenes from the "Housewife Series", 2000, "Pulled in All Directions", 1999, and "The Dishes Hadn't Been Done", 1998.

Peace Always

Sharon

September 19, 2008

Because most of my work is autobiographical, if something or someone comes into my life whether good or bad it will eventually make it's way into a painting or sculpture.

Two years ago I decided to make the plunge to become a vegan. After 20 years as a vegetarian I thought the transition would be a gentle one never suspecting all the new information I was to learn and how becoming a vegan ultimate opened my eyes to many more things than I anticipated.

The garden has become more important to me once I learned a bit about the food industry In addition because I live in central Pennsylvania I have access to many small produce farms at the local farmers market, fruit and veggie stands and through Penn State's weekly market. I take it upon myself to be an activist when I can.

Included in most of the past two year's works are statements, both verbal and visual about my experiences as a vegan. From my small studio in central Pennsylvania I get to pass on some information as well as entertain visually.

Peace Always

Sharon

September 18, 2008

photos by Sharon Lee
2001

Occasionally I like to challenge myself and create a theme for creating. When I made the "Menstruation Theatre" I had also fashioned a wreath made of tampons and sprayed silver as well as several drawings related to a Woman's menses. I painted a series of "housewife"-topic paintings, a series of assemblages of which "The Housewife" is one successful piece, my current series of "Smokey the Zombie Bear" and in early 2001, I photographed "The Construction Series" with locations including: State College, PA., Pittsburgh, PA., Atlantic City, N.J. and Cape May, N.J.