June 13, 2008

Tonight I attended the high school graduation of the son of a close friend. If you've ever attended a graduation I'm sure you'll nod your head in agreement that most of it is fairly boring and yawn inspiring. Finally one of the speakers graceiously used his speaking time to quote someone who was much more a wordsmith than the speaker at the podeum. The poem quoted was Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson. First thing I did when I came home (after I heated a cup of chai, fed the animals and poured myself a bowl of rice cereal was to look up the quote on the computer with the idea that it might be useful in the context of today's post. The first site I go to states that it has been inaccuratly attributed to R.W.E. and was possibbly penned by another poet, Bessie Stanley. Nevertheless it is a nice poem and I am reproducing it here in this post


To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.



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. 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.


Peace always

Sharon

June 12, 2008

When I started out as an artist I studied graphic design with the intention of going into typography. I left Pratt Institute and moved to central Pennsylvania to continue studying graphic design at Penn State. The head of the graphic design department was a memorable teacher who made me question my passion for art and whether I could truly lead a creative lifestyle. (A few years ago I read a book by Chip Kidd called The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel In Two Semesters which was about this very teacher and art program) Years went by and I tried to stifle creativity. Then about 3 or 4 years later I decided to take a basic weaving class. After the first class was over I decided to study fibers learn to spin, took more classes at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona studying color, fibers, weaving patterns, etc.

It wasn't until my daughter entered kindergarten that I started to paint after being encouraged by a few neighbors and friends who wanted to start an art critique group. My first paintings were graphic stylized representations of animals with different patterns: lizards, chicken heads, frogs, fish, etc. The lines were all even and basically they were flat painted patterns.

As happens I was influenced by some of the other members in the art critique group. One woman Sue Matsui would painted these fun narratives in miniature with detailed plates of food, scenes from medieval stories and little slices of life. I started to see the potential of art as a more expressive medium. Graphic Design is all about form and function and the only meaning is that you need to buy an item or idea whereas painting has no such boundaries. My first "real" piece of art was done in 1998. I used acrylic paint and painted over a small broken metal toy that had been discarded by my daughter. I titled this piece "The Housewife".

June 11, 2008

No painting started although I have a general idea of which direction I want to take. My plan is to be secretive about this painting until I'm sure it's well on it's way as I sometimes change my mind mid painting and wouldn't want to restrict that instinct because I had publicly stated my painting's intention. However I always have a creative idea or two brewing books to write , magazines to publish, photographs, videos, sewing, knitting, gardening you name it and I'll figure out a way to introduce emotion, color and pattern into that activity or thing(s).

A friend and I are going on a two-hour drive with some of his buddies to drive in a 4 x 4 park. Please don't expect me to explain the thrill of driving through mud and terrifying hills for me driving is a most un-enjoyed chore and if I could and live close to a town I would ride my bicycle and gladly give up driving. However my friend's passion is for driving in conditions and in places that appear to be undriveable and this was a birthday gift from me to him. I am planning on visually documenting as much as I can both through a video and digital still camera and an additional mounted camera. I have no experience in taking these types of photos and/or videos-but I like the challenge and really like the opportunity to combine my search for aesthetics, beauty and patterns in something that doesn't on the surface appear to be what would normally be considered to have a potential subject matter for art.

June 10, 2008

Photography by Sharon Lee
Construction work in Atlantic City 2004

Today was a non-art day. When I look back I'm not sure there was one creative thing I did except try to make a new recipe. I was trying for making burgers of TVP and veggies into something resembling a burger patty. It did not work and I was not fooled into thinking the pile of rubble on my plate was a patty.

There's a thunderstorm stuck in the mountain range I'm in so even though there is no rain now I hear thunder and will respectfully stay out of the woods until it possession opportunity for my daily walk with camera.

I spent more time managing trash and laundry, ignored the growing pile of dishes and trying to stay as cool as possible. I don't have ac at home (part ethics/part costs) but I do have 2 small fans that I can strategical aim at myself and my dog during the sweltering parts of the year.

I had hoped to at the very least take a photo of something new blooming in my garden but I spent a few hours getting little done weeding a bed that had a lovely blooming foxglove but was ravaged with weeds. Then there's the work that is very non artistic. I work as a part-time assistant to a web/video production company with a wide variety of jobs and responsibilities. Today I had to do some transcribing of two interviews to be use in a promo for a local University. As I was typing every "like", "um" and "er" and sentences that when you read don't always make sense. Out of the 50 minutes of transcription only 3 minutes is to be used.

And while I was having this very non-art day I was thinking how alike non-art things are to painting or creating.. When I paint most of the time I am looking at one small area that is in front of me. When the paint becomes to wet. to be workable I step back, scan the entire painting and move on to another small spot. Sometimes the art work is made of random thoughts that originally weren't the whole idea but are usable in telling the story I wish to tell. Somedays I spend moving paint around from one area to another to make it work not unlike managing laundry and trash and weeds. And in the midst of all the chaos you still see something that makes you interested enough to continue.

Peace Always

Sharon

June 9, 2008

Yesterday when I was doing early in the day gardening I noticed that some short poppies were coming up in a cluster of about 10. Sorry I have to go back a bit an explain my garden (and do not think it is anywhere near weeded as we have had 3 weeks of rain into many many days of exhaustive heat and humidity-but I digress) Most of my yard is part of one or another flower bed. There's the two beds at the front of the house under the maples and another small spot with all day strong sun. In the shady garden I had planted hostas of many varieties and planted them in a simple pattern, some old traditional orange day lilies. and a nice small leaf ivy which slowly climbs up the wood fence. But let's move on. As you go to the back of my yard you pass a work area of wood-firewood brush, etc under a giant maple tree-hardcore no real beauty to this section of my yard but:

1. It doesn't need to be mowed
2. I love to see piles of firewood-like money in the bank.

At the edge of the shade of the giant maple tree is the first bed I have in full sun and it's a basic the entrance bed for the garden In this bed goes the flowers I treat myself with I had a blue lupine there, a beautiful blue delphinium, striped green and yellow grasses, mint, primrose, ground sedum, comfrey, sweet woodruff and a delightful pink poppy. Last night when I looked I saw only the pods. This morning when I got up to look the pods were still attached to the flower (like a chick coming out of the egg shell) By afternoon the pods had already dropped to the ground and the flowers were fully opened. I took the attached photo this morning around 9:00 am.
Peace Always

Sharon

June 8,2008

FInished!!! As with any painting there are areas that please me as well as some that do not. I struggled a bit with this painting as I had no real idea of what the outcome was to be, no real sketches to start from and found it hard to paint everyday whether in the mood or not. I hope you enjoy the finished product. After a few days of letting the paint dry (Normally this does not take long as I paint with acrylic but the humidity has been outrageous so I will allow a few extra days of drying. I will take it to be photographed. After it is photographed slides and a tiff file will be made so I can post on my web site and/or enter shows. I plan to bring this to the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh annual show screening in two weeks and may not have time to have it framed for the screening-normally for this screening I would but as it often does the date has snuck up on me and I don't have enough time to follow my usual protocol.

peace always
Sharon

June 6, 2008

Photos show regular view, view when finished today's session and close-up of heart.

The day I had decided it was best to put my dog down, I had been to the vet earlier in the day and she was describing the results of Jackson's chest x-ray to me. Jackson had diabetes with many complications including blindness. I had a hard time controlling his diabetes even with his twice daily shots of insulin, careful home made food and regular blood work. Diabetes is an insidious disease and eventually his body had given all it could and it was time for him to leave this earth. The X-rays showed several areas of cancer, the retention of lots of water and an extremely large heart. When I talked with my friend later in the day about his health she stated "Jackson died of a heart that grew too large!" If you had met my dog (and I would suspect many Vizslas) you'll know exactly what I this means.

But How does this tie into todays painting session. On the upper left behind on of the clouds I painted a stylized heart. I used a diagram from a Biology course on line and played with the lines until it became the shape(s) it is now. Sometimes when I paint I will actually be consciously thinking of the symbolization I am using sometimes things just appear (such as the lemon in the upper right side).