July 3, 2008

Yesterday my household was without electricity. Most of the day I barely noticed its absence as I was driving to and from Pittsburgh and that stole most of my day. Arriving home just at dusk and searched the house in the barely visible light for working flashlights. I found one but nothing else so I was left with a flashlight to guide my nighttime entertainment. The night was spent reading, taking a series of photos(with incense, succulents in a flower box and flashlight) and wrote a haiku.

Can't sleep bedding rough
electricity cut off
cell says one o'clock


Peace always Sharon

July 1, 2008

Carnivale Cruise on the Cuyahoga by Sharon Lee
2003
acrylic on linen
34" x 26"

Today as I turned the calendar from June to July I glanced over the month's notes to see if I have any art shows I wish to enter this month. Whenever I get an application in the mail for an upcoming show that I am interested in I immediately enter a date two weeks before the submission deadline with the name of the show. I then put the paperwork in a file which I will go to when it's time (according to the calendar) to submit an application for a show. The two weeks gives me enough time to choose artwork to submit, fill out the application, procure a money order and get to the post office to send everything off to the show's committee. Sometimes these shows are months away and if it weren't for the pre-marked dates on my calendar I would forget about them.

This is not always a 100% fail proof system as I recently missed the deadline by one day when I carried an application around in my car for three days and never got to the Post Office. Some artists have a more sophisticated system of show entering including information on which pieces are being entered in which show. I would love to organize myself to this next level as I have on more than one occasion entered the same piece in two shows at the same time and got the same piece in both shows. When this happens the art goes to: first a show that has awarded me a prize and second the most prestigious show of the two.

When you fill out a show application you have every hope of getting in that show and on occasion will even imagine yourself winning a prize. Both sometimes happen, sometimes not. It's easiest to keep a tough skin around you and remember that most shows are being judged by a single person and the show is a reflection of what interests them not necessarily a reflection on the quality of your work.

June 30, 2008

Photo by Sharon Lee: Tomato Seedlings


As I've stated a few posts ago I am waiting for some $$$ until I can buy some stretchers to start my next painting. Of course I could paint on a scrap of masonite or piece of metal but I'm using this opportunity to catch up on my gardening. My goal with gardening is to plant most of my fruits and vegetables until the cold wins out (sometime in December-January. Then it's back to grocery store produce. Of course a garden is not complete without an assortment of pretty things including flowering grasses, water, flowers, trees, hedges.

Today was warm and overcast a perfect day for gardening. It has been raining in the evenings for the past few weeks and as a result the soil is nice and moist and the weeds (with the exception of Jerusalem Artichokes and Burdock) pull out fairly easily. My plan of attack when I have gardening time is to weed and/or plant a flower bed, a couple of veggie beds, some front yard-wood area clean up and an odd chore or two. Today I weeded strawberries (yes I munch on a few while working), weed lettuce bed, cold frame and a flower bed. There's a few holes in the flower bed where I'm inclined to plant some more veggies or herbs (dill and peppers perhaps). Today I also dug and planted a pickle cucumber bed.

While gardening may not seem to be appropriate for life as an artist it is indeed a source for artistic inspiration. When I think of gardening artists I always think of Monet whose love of gardens is obvious in his paintings.

Gardens are another way of artistic expression. They contain textures, colors and positive and negative spaces. I like to think of gardens as living sculptures

June 29, 2008

photograph by Sharon Lee taken in Scotia Range, Pennsylvania

Okay so once again today I will try to share my "artistic observations" which were taken from me two times yesterday by two separate computer problems. Today I downloaded Marsedit-hopefully that will avoid the problem of yesterday's lost post.

Yesterday I made the 2-1/2 hour drive to Pittsburgh from rural Pennsylvania where I live to drop off two paintings for the AAP annual group show juried screening. I have lived several places including the suburbs of New York City and Pittsburgh but since most days today are spent in the land of farms and woods I treat trips anywhere with a fresh view that you sometimes lose after living in a place a while.

My first stop in Pittsburgh was Wilkinsburg, a predominate black neighborhood on the Eastern edge of Pittsburgh. Although there are more than several windows boarded up, Wilkinsburg has not lost it's energy. There's a wonderful neighborhood feel there that I have not noticed as much in the other areas of Pittsburgh. Men, women and children are all gathered outside in the shopping district, meeting and greeting. After dropping off the paintings I headed to East Liberty where I had a balanced vegan meal at Abay an Ethiopian restaurant. After a plate of Ye' Abesha Gomen, Tikil Gomen, Butecha and Shiro Wat served on a large piece of Injera I headed across the street to Whole Foods a groovy, market with many organic and vegan options. The staff at Whole Foods is particularly cute and friendly and it makes shopping there a pleasurable experience.

My last stop was in Squirrel Hill. If you are not familiar with Pittsburgh I think of Squirrel Hill as the "garden" district with many, many beautiful old and new trees, great landscaping and lots of flowers. The business section of S.H. is thriving, catering to a diverse population. At a light I was tickled to see two pre-teen boys dressed in traditional Jewish Orthodox clothing jabbing each other while they stood waiting for a bus. The contrast of the seriousness of their clothing combined with the silliness of their actions put a smile on my face.

Since I was in Squirrel Hill per request of my daughter who wanted some Gluten Free sandwich bread from the Gluten-Free & Dairy Free bakery there. Gluuteny is a charming small bakery with Gluten and Dairy free cookies, brownies, cupcakes and breads. The bread slinger beyond the counter was a interesting mix of 90s punk with today's style and the beginning of a breast plate tattoo (I believe it was a heart but felt it rude to stare at her breasts too long to verify.

Next week when I go back to Pittsburgh to pick up my paintings after the screening I may get the opportunity to stay overnight. If I do I will try my best to get some descriptive Pittsburgh photos taken.

Peace always
Sharon

June 28, 2008

Photo by Sharon Lee

Sorry guys I lost twice (thanks to Safari program) my post for the day. I don't have the energy to write one a third time. Will do better by you all tomorrow.

June 27, 2008

Photo by Sharon Lee taken on Walnut Street, Pittsburgh, PA

I am a member of several art groups, one being the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. To qualify you must live within 150 miles of Pittsburgh and pass a group screening. Because I live at the perimeter of that 150 miles (128), I don't often have opportunity to participate in group activities, the exception their annual juried group show usually hung at either the Carnegie or Andy Warhol Museums.

Associated Artists have a live screening, that is you bring your 2 pieces of art to a very large building (an armory or a train depot I haven't figured it out yet-now used as a church, community center, catering hall) along with the 450+ members that also want to be in the annual show. It is amazing to walk through hundreds of pieces of which only a small amount will make the final cut into the show. The show is juried by one person. This fact, to me the artist, is important to remember if one or both pieces don't make the cut into the show. Generally if a juror is an artist I have a high success rate of getting into a show. Curators generally don't chose my pieces and educators can go either way. This year's juror is an educator.

Tomorrow I will drive the 2-1/2 hour ride to Pittsburgh, drop off my pieces, stop at Whole Foods, Borders and eat Ethiopian food for lunch then return home late afternoon.

Last day for this Ebay auction! If you like my work and want to support my endeavors please consider purchasing a painting. I have just put up the painting, "A Silver Titter Stole My Baby" on Ebay. It is a painting I'm proud for artistically as well as socially. It is acrylic paint on organic cotton and hemp canvas. Please feel free to pass the link to friends and family members and if you are so inclined feel free to purchase this painting for yourself.

June 26, 2008

Today I can not think of a single creative thought or idea I had that would be blog worthy to share. I am waiting for some money to come in to buy 3 more sets of stretchers (from Upper Canada Stretchers) so I don't have a painting to work on. Instead I went to the woods, cleaned a bit, went food shopping, mailed some yoga props that I sold through Ebay, trimmed the out of control hedges in front of my house, planted beets and did 1-1/2 hours of yoga. Although it was not a bad day, with the exception of figuring out how to make a vegan-gluten free version of onion dip (for my daughter who was craving chips and dip), none of it was particularly creative or inspiring.

I don't usually have 100% creative free days when when they do come along it's like anything you let it absorb you while it's there and rejoice when you once again have the opportunity to create.

Tomorrow is the last day for this Ebay auction! If you like my work and want to support my endeavors please consider purchasing a painting. I have just put up the painting, "A Silver Titter Stole My Baby" on Ebay. It is a painting I'm proud for artistically as well as socially. It is acrylic paint on organic cotton and hemp canvas. Please feel free to pass the link to friends and family members and if you are so inclined feel free to purchase this painting for yourself.