February 4, 2009

Hermit of Halfmoon Valley
2006
acrylic on canvas
18" x 24"


Mid winter which seems to last forever. Come February my thoughts quite naturally turn to warmer days.

Painted mid summer 2006.

Peace Always

Sharon

January 8, 2009

Photo by Sharon Lee
Black Moshannon, central Pennsylvania
Ice fishing

“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.”

Bill Watterson quotes (American Author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, b.1958)

November 3, 2008

The Nativity
1996
acrylic on cabinet door with plastic hula skirt
18" x 12"

Every year the holidays bring interesting open houses filled with crafts, arts, music and entertainment. Even for the non-religious, such as myself, it is a joy to participate in a celebration filled with traditions and the spirit of faith and hope. In the neighboring town of State College, PA there is an annual show of Nativity sets made from a variety of sizes, mediums and styles. There are almost 400 Nativities and with a background of Carol sing-a-long. it is a wonderful way to explore inspirational art.

Peace Always

Sharon

P.S. Don't forget to vote

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

July 31, 2008

Black Moshannon
Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

Yesterday I decided to take my dog Sophie to a local lake to see if the water lilies were blooming so I could take some photographs to add to my ever growing nature photo collection. We were both in luck as I found a nice secluded spot near the bank of the lake where I could easily view the lilies and my dog could swim to her hearts content.

Water lilies, if I'm not mistaken are also called lotus which has become a very popular symbol of late. The lotus flower grows in muddy waters and rises above the surface to bloom. At night the flowers will close and sink below the surface, rising again in the early hours of the following day.

On this lake in the woods of central Pennsylvania I saw two types of water lilies-white and pink. The pinks were further out in the lake requiring a boat to get to them. While sitting ashore I could hear frogs jumping off lily pads, the noise the crackling of other aquatic plant leaves and the constant buzzing of dragonflies.

It is on days such as this that I realize how lucky I am to be an artist. Part of my work day consisted of sitting on a carved bench observing nature.

Peace always

Sharon

July 5, 2008

Photos by Sharon Lee
Sophie on Huckleberry Hill
Huckleberries

I finally got some money together so I could order some new stretchers and get started on a new painting. I have two ideas brewing but not sure which one I will take on first. So while I wait for the stretchers I immerse myself in the garden and the woods with it's wonderful perfect color balance. I'm not sure when I realized that nature's colors always compliment each other in a balanced way. The combination of red, yellow and orange of a poker flower is completely opposite its green leaves and stem.

After a day of toiling in the garden My dog Sophie and I made out way deep into the wood to pick huckleberries. This is the first year in many years that I am picking without my huckleberry picking friend and dog Jackson who passed on a few months ago. Picking huckleberries is much like painting in that I look for the color to come to the surface that is needed.

July 4, 2008

photograph by Rick Brandt, Tyrone, PA

Happy, restful, fun, exciting, passionate, comfortable, refreshing 4th of July.

June 4, 2008

Today was a full day of rain and I had a mad idea that I could paint all day and finish this painting. Well I did paint most of the day but still no end in sight. I'm usually anxious at this stage as I start to get ideas for my next painting(s) and want to get started working on something new and fresh.


I wish I had something interesting to write but mentally I am drained so we will all have to settle for a picture being worth a thousand words (or at least a hundred or so)

Peace Always

Sharon

June 3, 2008

Well I'm finally feeling that the end of this painting is near. Not everyone of my paintings I love, in fact I'm usually satisfied with only one out of three which isn't bad but as a perfectionist This painting falls into the two out of three category. I would like it to be three out of three. As far as this painting goes I am mostly unfinished with the background and some areas around the words. Today was a good painting day although once again it was fabulously beautiful outside and I had to force myself not to stray outside too often. My dog Sophie gave me until about 3pm when it was time for our walk through the woods.

I have been taking my digital camera (Cannon G9) with me as much as possible and especially on my hikes in the woods. Today I tried to capture my dog leaping through a field of ferns. I didn't capture her mid air leaps but will keep trying. Pennsylvania's Mountain Laurel-the state flower is just opening up and there were lots of pink and white just opening flowers throughout the woods.

Even though time away from the easel may not seem like time spent painting it actually is research and inspiration and I find myself revived for my next painting session.

May 28, 2008

Today was one of those days where painting just flowed. I knew exactly which colors to put where. I recognized which parts of the painting did not work more readily and had painted for a few hours feeling only minutes had passed. Unfortunately the weather outside was also fabulous and it was impossible not to spend some of my day soaking up the rays while hiking with my dog Sophie and mowing the lawn. Around 6pm my daughter stopped by for our "Wednesday night take-out" date-(she gets Korean and I Thai). Since we live in rural Pennsylvania we have to drive to town, using precious $3.99 a gallon gas to collect our booty. On our car ride she was discussing an upcoming dance performance that she's involved with.

Although our disciplines are different there are many similarities. One time we were discussing the cycles of liking /dislike of our works. There's the initial excitement when you come up with an idea inevitably followed with the ebbs and flows of like and dislike as the dance/painting progresses. Today she told me that she usually works out issues through dance very much the same way I do. We brainstormed a potential dance to express her thoughts about being allergic to gluten but the ideas we came up with were either too obvious and dumb or appeared to be racist in nature. Discussions such as ours illuminate the similarities of all art disciplines once they are torn down a bit and analyzed.

May 15, 2008

Today was a day that lacked any type of opportunity for creativity yet it was filled with art all of it being a result of one person or another (including myself)’s creativity. There was a reception for a local show that I am in at the Penn State Altoona campus. Local shows are often pooh poohed for their lack of good art but I find that statement to be a false one. There is a diverse group of artists living in central Pennsylvania who create artwork ranging from the expected landscapes to collages, sculptures, abstract digital art, photography, and fabric art. Receptions are hardly the time to look at a show, there’s the distraction of socializing with a mix of art patrons and artists and the artwork although the draw of such events is actually the secondary focus. Because one of my pieces won an award there is extra attention on me, as with all other award winners by congratulatory greetings. I rarely go to openings for mainly because most of my art is shown out-of-town. Generally my contact with the physical part of an art show in non-existent. I fill out an application, send slides or digital materials, print out some paper work (resume, cv), send check or money order to cover application fees along with a self stamped addressed envelope and wait for the return acceptance/rejection letter. I always mark the SASE with the show’s name on the bottom left so I know what show I’m about to open the results of when I get the returned envelope. Sometimes there will be a mass printed letter or note, sometimes a stamped “in” or “out” on my application and return of your slides if you fail to get any of your pieces in. If a piece is accepted into a show I will either ship the artwork in a crate that I make from plywood and 1” x 2”s or drive if under 4 hours away. Every once in a while it’s fun to meet and greet others who appreciate the emotion and beauty of art and respond to your work in either a positive or negative way.

April 13, 2008

"Not Quite Dead" is a single metal file box painted with acrylic. On the three sides are underground scenes with rabbit, mole and snake nests, pieces of pottery, a deceased family pet, a can, seeds sprouting and soil. Each side's color is painted with the states California, Pennsylvania and Arizona in mind. On the top surface is a layer of moss, a bell, a string and a gravestone. Inside the drawer which is partially open is a coffin with the word "Nigger" (made of Fimo painted with acrylic) lain in a bed of red silk. Part of the string from the top of the metal file box comes into the drawer and is secured to the side of the small wooden coffin. On the sides of the pulled out drawer are words painted in acrylic including "cunt, wop, cracker, wetback, fag".

In my next post I will tell of my intentions in creating this piece. Currently I don't have an available photo of the piece but will post as soon as it's available.