Relocating (again)

Across the street from my studio on Beekman Street in the Saratoga Arts District, a live/work space became available. We grabbed it - enabling us to combine the gallery/studio and living quarters in this good size house. Apart from the obvious fact that we'll save money, I'm excited to be so physically close to my work. Just think of what this insomniac can accomplish into the wee hours!

Moving is such a chore, even if it's just across the street. As a former race tracker, packing and shipping is a routine part of the biz. Let's say I've grown weary of it...really, really weary. And where did all this stuff come from? Amazing what material things we accumulate. A mere year and a half ago we moved into the old studio with my paintings, art supplies and a few computers and printers.

"A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff." -George Carlin
 I swear I had no stuff-collecting intentions. I despise clutter. But there it is, all sprawled out and spilling into three rooms in the new place, requiring lots of effort to organize and find a place to put it.

In other news...

My Kickstarter campaign will end on Friday, March 22nd. I'm overwhelmed and humbled that I not only surpassed my goal, but that so many are willing to support my artistic efforts. What a blessing to have believers in me and my artwork. FYI...there are still four of the eight originals available: Click here: Kickstarter if you're interested.

With deepest appreciation,
Sharon

Studio News

My monster of a canvas is finished.

Phew!

There were effects that I wanted to play with after acquiring interesting new skills with my landscape experiments. However, because this piece is commissioned by a great client who loves my racing work and has certain expectations, I thought it best to be reliable in that respect. The entire background was applied with a palette knife providing some interesting texture that I further rubbed with thinned pigment. A very difficult angle to portray, I couldn't find any reference photos except for one very dark and blurry pic. That said, I enlisted Michael to model and did lots of preliminary drawings.

Oil on canvas, 7'x5'

In other studio news, my Kickstarter project is almost completely funded. I have only $125. more to go to reach my goal. If there are any art angels out there who would like to help me get there, please click here. Did I mention there are rewards?

More studio news: We'll be moving the entire kit and caboodle across the street on Beekman and will be in an authentic live/work environment combining the studio/gallery with living quarters. This workaholic is thrilled! Stay tuned for a more detailed update.

Mwah!
Sharon

Kickstarter Newsletter

My Kickstarter project is now live and I'm off to a great start (thanks to all my art angels)! I explain my project and why I chose to create it in my newsletter (it's pretty). If you'd like to sign up to have it delivered to your inbox, there's a link in tabs to the right. For now, here's a direct link to the online version here.

And here's a link that will take you directly to my Kickstarter page. You'll also see a video of myself in my studio as I explain the project. If any of you would like to make a pledge toward my project, there are rewards. And mountains of gratitude!

Hugs,
Sharon

Kickstarter

I have some big ideas in mind for the future. I mean BIG which also means expensive to produce. These would be projects on the level of my experimental piece Diagonal. Accomplishing these ambitious efforts requires some creativity in the logistics of funding which led me to explore Kickstarter. My first attempt to familiarize myself with this platform will be with a much smaller project.

One of the requirements of Kickstarter is to create a short video presentation describing the project and why I'm seeking funding. Perusing other artistic project videos I'm confronted with some that are very, very professional. Cool music, integrated graphics, well-scripted and slick -  I'm intimidated. My video? Michael shoots with our modest camera perched on a walking stick for stability while his other hand holds a cue card taped to a stretcher bar. We tried to have background music but I  struggled with this so much that I thought it was a distraction.

Okay, so it took 11 tries and it's still crude. But it makes a case for myself and my artwork and not for an app to send someone a flaming bag of poop (yes, really).

Take three...

Seriously,
Sharon

Back to Basics

After spending the last several months experimenting with different subject matter, I'm delighted to return to the loyal and patient muse. Don't get me wrong, my foray into street scenes, ocean, snow and a bit of plein air has been a welcome change - reassuring my brain that it can still concentrate with dogged focus and even learn a few new tricks.

It was a return to the basics of value and perspective. My equine paintings are closely cropped into somewhat abstract compositions. Spatially, here's limited depth of field and the angles are as unorthodox as I can convincingly portray. It's difficult to choose a focal point when the entire surface is so in-your-face.

My artist friend Robert Stebleton generously sent me a cd of images that he scanned from one of his Richard Schmid landscape books. I drooled over these paintings. And I stared at them for hours. What impressed me the most was Schmid's simplification of some very complex masses and his suggestion to perceive these areas as patterns. Also noteworthy is his effective technique with edges, something I really need to work on.

It will be interesting to see if my return to a large-scale, motion-infused canvas will be affected by the time spent painting scenes that were definitely outside my comfort zone.

7'x5' canvas with preliminary charcoal sketch and color washes.

I think it will.
Sharon

2012 - Much to be thankful for.

As I look back at my work year I realize how well my career recovery is underway from the travails of the recession. Here goes...

It's been a year since opening the studio on Beekman St. The Arts District has also suffered mightily but signs of improvement abound. Michael was able to stir interest in another First Friday Art Walk which will be repeated in the spring (the Art Walk he singly organized in Ocala still continues and is smashingly successful). I'm so grateful to have street presence and have the support of friends who believe in me and my artwork. The studio makes it possible to participate in various art events throughout the year. Yes, I work very hard to market myself and cannot rely solely on walk-in traffic, but the studio has proven itself necessary over and over. It's about street cred.

A great gig came my way last January with the commission to paint six greyhound fiberglass forms. My new client used the artwork to raise money for greyhound rescue. And what a fortuitous meeting! He saw my fiberglass horses in Ocala and took the trouble to find me here in Saratoga. What a fascinating, generous and easy to work with client who made my struggles with acrylic paint a bearable challenge. Angels come in all disguises.

Getting my children's book finished and published was a milestone. 101 Whinnying Riddles for Horse Crazy Kids is listed on Amazon.com and has sold very well. My book partner who wrote the riddles, Dale Sue Wade is brilliant and supportive. I made lots of mistakes but learned well about self-publishing. I'm even open to repeating the venture. In color next time.

I was invited to show at the spring exhibition at the American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, KY. Always an affirming endeavor.

Creating and nurturing business relationships is more vital than ever. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame hosted a book signing for me during the race meet. It's important to form alliances with those who share similar focus, passions and who also work hard to promote these principles.

Yup, there were some low points in the year to mention briefly but not dwell. The cancellation of the Inaugural Saratoga Steeplechase Festival for which I was the poster artist was a big disappointment and also hit me in the pocketbook. The state take over of NYRA stole some of the magic from the race meet and left many of us drained and uncertain of the future. However, the recent meeting of the new board of directors produced direction for positive change, especially during the upcoming 150th Anniversary to be widely celebrated. And I'm grateful to still be an artist vendor at the world's most fabulous race track. We remain hopeful.

The lack of interest in equine art here in Saratoga after the race meet has been a blessing. It has compelled me to spread my painterly wings and do some flying. While it's often frustrating, it's also a great challenge to experiment and grow. The interest in my "new" subjects has been reassuring.

I have amazing clients and am thankful for all who supported me throughout the year. You all know who you are and I'm so grateful for you interest in my artwork and career. Next week, Michael and I will sit down and make plans for 2013 with renewed enthusiasm. In the meantime, I wish you all a

Merry Christmas and Peace and Prosperity in the New Year!

With lots of love,
Sharon

Go to the Light

I've been fortunate to gypsy around the country with my horse-trainer husband Michael. As I scrutinize contemporary masters to expand my subject and, in the process, hopefully improve my painting skills, I've become so mindful of the light in all it's glorious lumens.

Now I'm in the north country and it's...oh so different. As winter encroaches, the sun is a diluted watery thing that mostly hangs out behind a veil of clouds. And not for long! It drops behind the tree line before 4:00 pm which makes for a very short day (and in summer the opposite makes for little time to star-gaze). With a rare, clear sun, the light produces long shadows all day long. Weird.

3:30 pm

Michael has asked why an artist would want to plein air paint here in December. Everything's brown and dead, he observes. Well, everything is more like resting and it's about a sense of place. The weak light is particular to this region at this time of year and I'm enjoying the seasons (even though snow still...STILL!... eludes us).

Holsteins, oil on canvas, 16"x20"

Because I sold the first little cow painting unframed and still wet, of course I had to paint another. It was overcast but I wanted to color the cloudy sky. The bare trees in the background say winter even though the grass oddly stays so green around here freeze after freeze. I added a slight indication of shadow to add dimension even though there were none and used a palette knife to create the hay in the mud. The cows are brightly lit in an un-sunny way.
Mooo,
Sharon

Graffiti and Other Masterworks

As I fumble around my paint box, flummoxed and forlorn, I wish I had begun my young painting career as an illegal street artist, stealthily stalking substrates off limits.

Okay, that's enough of that. There's a lot of luck in this game...serendipitously finding yourself in the right place, in perfect timing and landing in the company of some very, very helpful people. Talent and ability are often secondary. Frustration abounds for the workaholics (me) who take themselves way too seriously (me) and continuously bang their exhausted heads against the graffitied wall (me).

Consider Basquiat...then Banksy...and now KAWS aka Brian Donnelly. If I were a street artist like KAWS, Macy's would ask ME to design a colorless balloon for the big day (I'd call it Buddy) and I'd have MY few minutes of fame on the CBS Sunday Morning show. Cool, huh?

And for the record, I absolutely adore Banksy and his artwork. I'll never, ever be this cool. Damn.

Just sayin',
Sharon

Made in the U.S.A.

One of the hot issues of the recent political campaigns dealt with the outsourcing of American jobs to cheap overseas labor markets and the resulting unemployment it created here at home. I care about this. A lot.

Not to be morose, but I ask you to consider: as you stand in line at the big box store craving the latest version of that electronic gadget, try to comprehend the fallout produced by the overseas manufacturing company who has installed safety nets to save the leaping miserable. Okay, that's extreme, but it bothers my conscience and, to be quite frank, I believe we are either part of the problem or part of the solution. It may seem overwhelming, but we can do our small part to contribute to the solution in the next several weeks of holiday shopping.

Buy local. Purchase merchandise from a small shop in your area. You'll be appreciated, enjoy attentive service and you'll be supporting a business that very likely cares about it's employees, offers a better product and stands behind it, pays American taxes and contributes directly into the local economy.

It's difficult to find products made in America but not impossible.

My mugs - proudly made in America by Americans!

My mugs and coasters are manufactured in the U.S. The coasters are from a company in Virginia and my mugs are created at a company in Texas. Heck, even the mug itself is American made. Yes, of course it costs more but the product is of excellent quality, survives hundreds of trips through the dishwasher and microwave, and you need not be concerned with dangerous toxins mixing with your morning beverage. Oh, and the lovely images on the mugs and coasters are created by THIS American.

Even my oil paints are made in the U.S.A. and my book is printed in America.
Think red, white and blue, baby!
Sharon

Genre to General

After the race meet ends, Saratogians express little to no interest in equine art, especially horse racing. Either they've had their fill of it during the summer, aren't particularly inclined toward the sport, or it reminds them of huge crowds, insane traffic and the hopelessness of obtaining a dinner reservation.

So, what's an equine artist to do? Many of my peers are expanding their artistic repertoire in the wake of the stifling recession that put the kabosh on more than a few thriving careers. Experimentation's necessary course of action has produced these recent inventions:

Islands of Lake George, oil on canvas, 8"x10"

Simplify has become my new mantra and the word loops over and over in my head. Here, I'm playing with atmosphere and pushing the color expression. I feel like I want to re-work the value of islands to bring it closer to the air and water.

Lobsterman, oil on canvas, 11"x14

From my now infamous Maine vacation, I awoke early on the shore to observe the laborious hauling and inspection of lobster pots. The canvas ground is a cool, light yellow mixture of cadmium light and yellow ochre. The background was a wash of  pthalo blue and white. I was going to work in some water action behind the boat but decided to simplify and left it as is with the yellow showing through. It may not work but it was an interesting decision for me.

Sherman Farm, oil on canvas, 8"x10"

This plein air piece is a feel-good stretch. It was rendered quickly and simplified as it was only in the upper 30's outside. I've been studying landscape painting and pining to be good at it! It may be a matter of practice, practice, practice - or not. I've got a long way to go before I make friends with the greens. Whatever, it's good to get out and paint directly from life. A great help has been Landscape Painting by Mitchell Albala.

Untitled (as yet), oil on canvas, 22"x24"

I simplified these brushstrokes with a deliberate application...no unsure back and forth blending like I caught myself doing in the landscape pieces. It has an abstract feel to it and I'm especially pleased with the composition. Thrusting, powerful bodies in space...gee, that's familiar.

I feel like I'm starting over in some respects. It's uncomfortable and although it's interesting to try new subjects, I'm not very secure regarding my motives and direction as an artist. After a couple of decades of branding myself as a "dynamic equine artist", where am I going with this? Will I still be able to apply an aesthetic of striving for excellence, a dialog of visual communication and convincingly convey my ideas in paint that will translate as...me?    

It's good to step out of the box (I guess),
Sharon