Hi Folks,  It's been awhile since I posted to my blog.  With a new house to configure, paint, landscape, and settle into, I've been otherwise busy.  Not much painting going on, but I have posted a new category to my sight about the lampshades and bases I have been working on.  I hope you like them.  I have been taking them to antique shows and have one coming up the weekend of May 1 and 2 at the Abbey Fieldhouse here in Canon City.  Let me know if you need more info.  I am also going to Taos for the Intensive Studies Seminar for 8 days.  EIGHT WHOLE DAYS OF PAINTING!!!!!  I'm looking forward to getting a kick-start to painting now that the house is pretty much in order.  Until next time,  Sharon

I want to wish one and all a truly wonderful holiday season.  May you all find joy and love and comfort now and always. 

I am finally pretty much settled in my new house and am somewhat organized in my studio.  I have been making lampshades for customers and one for my dining room.  Soon I will be getting back into the creative groove as I have to get ready for my first big show of 2010 - the Denver Indian Market at the Denver Merchandise Mart Jan. 22, 23, & 24.  I will be showcasing my art, my leather garments, prints, cards, lamps and shades.  It's quite a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it. 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Artfully yours, Sharon

Hi Everyone,  I have big news.  Russ and I are moving to Canon City, Colorado next month.  My other big news is that I received a 1st place award for my painting "Tree -IX" in the Colorado Watercolor Society New Trends Show!  I'm  so excited about that.  It is also the painting in my ad in the September issue of Southwest Art Magazine on page 37.  Now comes the hard part - leaving such a great art community - and packing up my studio.  I won't have as much space in the new home, so I have to consolidate, eliminate, and store.  Decisions, decisions!  I'll be having a moving sale to help with the process.  My summer has been full of trips and lampshade orders.  I make custom lampshades, and this has been my busiest summer ever averaging 3 a week.  No rest for the weary. This will probably be my last post until after the move and I get organized.  Artfully yours, Sharon

Well, I finally got around to adding some new works to my web site.  Hope you all like them.  Please give me your feedback about the more abstract works.  I enjoy painting them.  I just got back from a trip to South Dakota and Wyoming, so I have a lot of new reference material and am excited to get to painting some of them.  I was notified that I have a painting - "Evergreen Hills" accepted in the Pikes Peak Watercolor Society's Watermedia XVI International Show to be held at the Sangre de Cristo Art Center in Pueblo, Colorado from August 14th through October 17, 2009.  I also had a painting "Tree IX" accepted in the Colorado Watercolor Society show to be held in Denver in Sept.  I have also entered some of my leather outfits, and an art neauvou dress in a wearable art show in Canon City.  Things are popping.  Yeah!

Well, I made it through the Intensive Studies Seminar in Taos, NM.  It was an awesome experience to paint for ten days with nearly 85 professional artists and 5 seminar leaders.  The seminar leaders were Katherine Liu, Fran Larsen, Skip Lawerence, Christopher Schink, and Alex Powers.  Their slide presentations and critiques were a vital part of the Studies.  I came away with what I had hoped to find - one or two elements that I can use in all of the media I use to create art that will identifiy them all as "mine".  I will be posting images from my 10 days of painting in the next few days.

Hi Everyone,  After a weekend of heavy, wet show - 18" worth, the sun is melting it very quickly.  I've been involved in finishing up house projects - painting the living room and hallway, and making a new bedspread.  Now I can concentrate on getting supplies and stuff ready for the Intensive Studies Seminar in Taos. I leave next Monday and won't be back til May 8.  This is my first time attending such a concentrated painting time, and it's a little scary.  I've been told I will come back a changed person.  I don't know if that's good or bad.  Only time will tell and then I can tell you how it was.  Ten whole days of concentrated painting.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Until nex time, Cheers, Sharon

I'm sitting in my home waiting for my husband to shovel the sidewalk to my studio.  We received about 12 to 14" of snow in the past 16 hours.  With that much snow, I have to depend on him to move it with our 4-wheeler.  I'm supposed to sit at the 3rd Street Gallery today, but it will have to wait til the driveway is plowed.  I don't even know if the county has plowed the road to town yet.  That's the reality of living in a rural area in Colorado.  It's beautiful though.  When I got up this morning and looked out my window, there were 6 deer either lying down or standing under a big spruce tree in our yard.  They were covered with snow and looked very peaceful.  In fact, a magpie was pecking on the head of one of the deer.  Needless to say, I didn't have my camera handy.  It made a great picture.  I hope I can remember the image to sketch.  Cheers and stay warm.  Sharon

Hi Everyone.  Yesterday, I attended a "cowboy action shoot" with my husband.  The weather was great ane the atmosphere "charged!"  It was a great opportunity to get some action shots with everyone there in period dress and gunpowder in the air.  I got some good shots to use as reference for some western style paintings.  I'll let you know when I get them done and posted.
Using photos is, for me, a great way to get subject matter.  I have allergies (and the spring pollen is already way up), and I can't be outside much during the allergy seasons, so I rely on my photos for subject matter.  Has anyone else had the same experiences - watery, itchy eyes, and sneezing, running noses?  How do you handle plein air painting?
Sharon

Hi Everyone!  Well, I'm taking a BIG STEP here.  This is my first blog experience and I hope to continue as I learn more of what you want to talk about. 
I'm in my studio between projects and enjoying the fine "first day of Spring" here in Westcliffe, Colorado.  We didn't have much of a winter, so we're wondering what spring will bring.

I will be posting new work to my sight for you to comment on.  I have been working primarily in watermedia this winter.  Some of my new works are "Faded Glory", "Hitching Post", "Filtered Tree Tops", and "Opus -III".  Let me know which style you like.