July 11, 2008

My stretchers arrived and today's the day I begin a new painting except......not enough canvas! The two pieces of hemp/organic cotton canvas I have are too narrow so I order on-line a couple of yards from Near Sea Naturals thus delaying things a few days. Actually this gave me time to think about the painting to be. Would I pick subject A or subject B? Subject A was to be a scene from the Darfur Genocide. The image that comes to my mind when I think of the issues Darfur is facing id a dusty road strew with dead men, women and children and a jeep filled with armed militia driving past the bodies.

I decided to wait on painting this subject until I do a bit of research and form my own vision.

When I was in Washington DC several years ago, my daughter and I visited the Holocaust Museum. There are many memorable visuals in the Museum but the one that struck a cord with me was the pile of shoes. I don't know what it was about this pile of shoes that affected me so deeply. Maybe it's because I can relate to shoes. A majority of the people in the concentration camps did not share ethnic background, religion, generation or nationality yet we all wore/wear shoes. Tonight when I was making my nightly trek through the woods to the berry patch I looked down at my bruised and battered black shoes I thought how similar they looked to the shoes I saw in the pile.

July 10, 2008

I spent much of today perusing the artist booths at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Thursday (The festival runs Wednesday (kids day) to Sunday evening) is generally the day locals come out. The "Arts Festival also has several musical performances occurring simultaneously and I got to catch the tail end of a duo that was a joy to listen to.

The visual artists themselves cover a wide gamut of styles and mediums. There were booths and booths of jewelry (I went with my 19 year old daughter who loves jewelry), photographs from around the world, the requisite Amish photographs of this area, collage clocks, glass, wood items such as bowls and kitchen utensils, marbled paper (I bought a box of note-cards), dulcimers, bird houses and more.

It is always inspiring to see lots of creativity in my neighborhood as well as getting a chance to talk to others who make art whether through dance, visual arts, music or performance. Because I live in a fairly rural place opportunities for artist dialog is somewhat limited. I'll probably stay clear of town until Saturday night because of my aversion to large crowds. The annual AIDS fundraiser casino night and drag show is held then and looks to be a blast. Until then it'll be stretching a new canvas, gardening, picking huckleberries and the required hike in the woods.

July 9, 2008

Detail photo of painted dresser by Sharon Lee

For the next five days our region is saturated with the arts. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts begins today with kids day and continues Thursday through Sunday with the "Official" part of the Arts Festival. Because I am an artist it is always assumed that I participate with this festival. In years past I have as a demonstrator (spinning wool) but generally I join the masses as an observer.

There is a difference in the art that appears in this type of show and the art that I produce. Production art is made with the audience in mind while mine generally is not. Still and all there is plenty of visual stimulus from the hundreds of artist who peddle their wares here. Occasionally I'll run into an artist whose name is familiar from fine art shows.

Of course a festival of this size includes many genres of art. There's theatrical performances, dances, music, fine art shows, chalk drawings on the street both done as part of the official Arts Festival as well as local groups that want to take advantage of the influx of thousands of people into our community which is rather sleepy and slow in the summer without the mass of Penn State students.

Thursday is traditionally the day most local people go to look over and discuss (criticize) the Arts Festival and its sister fair 4 miles away-the People's Choice Festival. I see acquaintances that I haven't seen since last year, buy some kettle corn and duck into one of the bars for an afternoon beer.

July 8, 2008

About nine years ago, due to a rodent infestation I gutted my entire house. I couldn't stand the idea of dead rodents rotting in the walls and felt the need to strip the house to it's bare foundation. Because I had no skills in home remodeling, I wasn't sure how to approach the re-construction. One day while sitting on the porch of a next door neighbor, Mrs next-door asked if I was interested in hiring Mr. next-door to work part-time rebuilding the insides of my house. Seizing the opportunity I instead paid Mr. next-door to teach me how to do home remodeling, thus the beginning of learning new skills and a friendship that still exists today.

We fell in a pattern of working every weekend. Because we both had young families at times we were interrupted by our families whose needs did not slow down and we would often stop work to drive someone or another here or there. When I waited for my friend's return I began to paint the progress of the reconstruction on a wall in the room that was at the time my painting studio. When I learn wiring I painted scenes with exposed wires and electrical tools. There were scenes of my frustration in learning new skills. At one point I ran out of wall and considered the piece finished.

I was entering my first annual show for Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and decided that I should remove the wall and enter the wall and the mural that was painted on it. We filmed the process which took up the better part of the day. Highlights of the day include using a chain-saw to cut out the wall as the sawsall that we were using broke down and was unusable.

I never got into the Pittsburgh show but was able to show this piece at the Southern Allegheny Biennial. Currently the "Wall" resides packed away in a pole barn about seven miles from my home.

Peace Always

Sharon

July 7, 2008

One more day of gardening and hopefully if the thunderstorms stop, a hike in the woods to pick more huckleberries. Three days in a row of gardening, hiking and picking is physically challenging. A few years ago I spent a week at Feathered Pipe in Montana for a yoga intensive and this schedule feels similar. It is nice after the necessary bath to fall into bed at the end of the day feeling that your body and mind has been fully engaged and stimulated. The colors of flowers are amazing as well as inspiring. I will take all these wonderful color combinations into the studio when I paint.

Today I was greeted by a new flowering in my succulent bed.It is a variety of the common hens and chicks that I picked up at a nursery locally that has many varieties succulents. A perfect combination of pink, red-violet, yellow and green-yellow with green foliage. Also interesting is the pattern its petals, the reproductive system and the round leaves of the faded out foliage of another plant behind the flower.

I haven't decided which will be the next painting I start but I have it narrowed down to one of two ideas. One a scene from the massacres that are happening in Darfur and the other is a scene I saw and embellished (a young boy, 10 ducklings, a pond and two dogs) which would be told in a story telling three part painting.

July 6, 2008

Photos by Sharon Lee
White Yarrow
Yellow Mushrooms
Orange Day Lilies




Today was spent much as yesterday: gardening, getting nourishment and hiking in the woods to pick huckleberries. The colors I noticed today in the woods as well as my backyard were beautiful splashes of oranges, purples, greens, whites, yellows, browns, reds and blues. I thought instead if writing a long blog I would post a few pictures that you might enjoy all taken today with the mindset of finding fabulous color balances in 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.