Sharon Marston's Daily Art Blog

Cold light

2011-01-28T14:57:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to find light in my paint. It's all about contrast and color interactions. I love what I do and I find it so interesting that I can illuminate something with just paint and canvas.

Gentle Side of January

2011-01-25T11:19:00.002-05:00

Moon Shadows

2011-01-24T08:13:00.002-05:00

My latest painting...

And slowly the kiln burns...

2010-09-21T18:33:00.005-04:00

Some work that has been finished... Go to www.HomeAgainPottery.com to see more!

OK......

2010-09-03T23:13:00.002-04:00

Here it is.... September 3rd 2010. I have been away from this blog for quite some time.... BUT I am happy to say that I have still been making art. My current passion is ceramics. You could say I've come full circle. Ceramics is where I started so many years ago. I majored in ceramics at Maine College of art and I had a little business going for a while after college. So I have painted, made jewelry, carved slate.... I have done just about every creative whim that has ever crossed through my mind.

Now, I am back to clay. I have some serious ideas racing around my brain... Little porcelain candle houses, small trays, hand built plates, bowls and cups... and clay pendants. I have a bunch of prototypes already made in my studio. I will be firing next week and I will post my first pics. I even opened a new Etsy store... HomeAgainPottery.etsy.com It is currently empty, just waiting for my treasures to fill it up!

NEW

2009-02-19T10:01:00.004-05:00

I have a new place... http://www.SharonMarstonFineArtist.com

Earrings Today

2009-02-18T14:29:00.008-05:00

I like to take some days off from painting to create earrings. I love mixing and matchin the beads to come up with cool new designs. all of these earrings are for sale at my etsy shop www.roseellendesigns.etsy.com All only $6!

"Beauty by the Window"

2009-02-17T17:11:00.002-05:00

Ahhhh, One of my Valentine roses forever captured on canvas! This is a 12x12 inch acrylic painting. I don't know if I will sell it. Maybe I should just let my hubby give it to me each year on Valentines day! Save money and enjoy it year round.... I better still get chocolate!

"AWAKENING" again...

2009-02-12T14:44:00.002-05:00

This painting is really bugging me. I did some tweeking on it today. I can't seem to get it to a place where I am happy with it. I need to stop obsessing and move on.

"AWAKENING"

2009-02-11T17:45:00.003-05:00

This is basically the same painting I did yesterday... just a different season. Spring has sprung! Oh I can't wait! I think I will make the 4 seasons and call this a set.

"Quietly Waiting"

2009-02-10T17:05:00.002-05:00

This painting is how i feel on the inside. At first glimpse it seems pretty bleek, but once you notice the warm pink sky on the horizon, you know the end of a long cold winter is almost here. I am soooo looking forward to Spring! Enjoy, FOR SALE at www.kre8or.etsy.com

LUNA

2009-02-09T19:21:00.005-05:00

Luna is finished! This is a 12"x12" canvas of a Luna Moth on a branch with a full moon for a landscape background..... more insects to come?... stay tuned...

I'm BACK!

2009-02-09T11:57:00.003-05:00

Hi all, I am back to painting after a long hibernation. I did a mural for my nephew that got the creative spark burning again. It is a 4'x4' spacescape. It was so fun to do, I love painting big! I am working on a Luna moth painting today. Hopefully I will be able to post it tonight! ~Shan

RoseEllenDesigns

2008-10-09T12:24:00.002-04:00

I have been busy with another project. I tend to overload myself a bit,... Me and my daughter are on an earring making frenzy. We are spending lots of mom, daughter bonding time designing and creating great little beaded earrings that we are selling on Etsy. Yes, they are selling! Come by and check it out www.roseellendesign.etsy.com

Day.... I don't know?

2008-10-09T12:18:00.006-04:00

Hey! I have been gone for a while, you may have already figured that out. Here is what I have been up to. I have been illustrating... here are some of my drawings, all in an incomplete state... I will be filling these in with watercolor paints and adding all the fine details. I will then put things together to have a few completed illustrations for the book.

Illustration Project... Day 1

2008-09-22T19:10:00.003-04:00

Hi, I spent most of today working out some watercolor paintings of a little girl dancing under a willow tree. These pics are what I came up with. My biggest problem, in my opinion is faces. I think I will spend tomorrow on faces alone and get them to look semi human. I think the ones in these paintings are too doll like. I like the willow trees in each, but I think a combo of the two styles I used would be best. I want to work on making everything look a bit less cartoony. Opinions and suggestions welcomed.

OK.... I've taken a breather...

2008-09-21T21:19:00.002-04:00

Hello all, Yes I took a bit of a vacation these past few days. I am working on a new project and I have been doing lots of research, sketching, reading etc.... I have been introduced to the possibility of illustrating a book. This would be a children's book so I would have to draw or paint lots of children...... as you may know, I haven't exactly done a whole lot of this subject. Yes, I know that I am 100% capable, I just need to review the basics of people drawing and start working. I will be continuing this painting a day blog, but I will be sharing my sketches and paintings with you as I develop a line of illustrations for this book. I am very excited about my challenging new project and I hope you will continue to follow along with me on this journey. I have also revamped my website a bit. I had to add an extra page for another gallery, so my still life and landscape galleries are separate now. I made a new navigation bar and simplified or altered some of my text. Go give it a look see here>>>
I will be back to posting more art tomorrow.

Day 24... "October Dawning"

2008-09-17T23:50:00.003-04:00

This is a 16x20 inch acrylic painting on canvas. It is very early, some stars are still shining... the pumpkins are coated with a heavy frost and the sun is inching its way up to bring light and warmth to a brilliant fall day. I took my idea from yesterdays painting and expanded it. This is a much bigger canvas and I chose for it to be sunrise with a heavy frost, sort of like the morning after yesterdays painting. This painting is for sale in my Etsy store.

Day 23... "Frosty Harvest Moon"

2008-09-17T23:50:00.001-04:00

This is an 8x10 acrylic on a canvas panel. This painting depicts a full harvest moon when the first frost usually comes to New England. It is a crisp night and the land and the pumpkins are getting a fuzzy little coat of ice crystals. This painting is for sale here>>>

Day 22... "Letting Go"

2008-09-16T21:57:00.001-04:00

This is a 6x6 inch acrylic painting on canvas. There comes a time every fall when the maple tree must set it's autumn dress free to the wind. It usually happens within a matter of a day or two, when a wind and rain storm comes and takes away all of the colorful leaves. Pretty little landscape that tells a story. You may purchase this painting HERE.

Day 21... "Candy Corn"

2008-09-15T22:50:00.002-04:00

This is a whimsical little 6x6 inch acrylic painting. A few candy corns have spilled out of a small plastic cup. Oh no! I guess I have to eat them..... and that's exactly what I did! This painting may be purchased at my Etsy Store.

Day 20... "Birches in Autumn"

2008-09-14T18:37:00.002-04:00

This is a 12x12 inch acrylic on canvas. If you have never been to New England in the fall, you are missing out on some of the most amazing colors that nature has to offer. The yellow leaves on the birches are spectacular, but what amazes me is the color that can come from the undergrowth. Little saplings, grasses and bushes turn red, and orange, and warm browns. Poison ivy has some of the most vibrant red leaves of all. A walk through the woods in the fall in New England renews the senses and invigorates the spirit. The painting continues around the wrapped sides so framing is not necessary. So colorful! May be purchased HERE

Day 19... "Simple Beauty"

2008-09-13T21:46:00.002-04:00

This is a 6x6 inch acrylic on canvas. The simplicity of an object is often taken for granted. Yes, it's an apple, we know apples.... but, did you ever stop to look at how the skin will reflect when it is polished on your shirt? Did you ever notice the shadows it will cast, and how apples will never sit quite straight? Anyway, I love to take the ordinary and bring it into a new light for all to appreciate. I think one of the jobs an artist has to do is show people how beautiful the simple things can be. I love my job... For sale at my store.

Day 18... "Harvest Prize"

2008-09-11T22:27:00.003-04:00

This is a 6x6 inch acrylic on canvas. A special little reward for all the hard work put into the garden all summer long. A perfect, plump little prize awaits to reward all of your effort. I love pumpkin season! I guess I am on a fall theme lately... I paint what I see around me. I may not know what I am going to paint when I wake up in the morning, but usually by early afternoon I find my inspiration and put it to canvas. This has been cause for many a late night. I need to start getting inspired sooner. I find myself in the produce section of the market, looking at the fruits and veggies, choosing them for the interesting shapes and colors, not even thinking about what I will be making for dinner! Eventually my edible subjects do end up on our plates, after I capture all of its details on canvas. This painting for sale at my Etsy store.

Day 17... JonahMacs

2008-09-10T21:14:00.002-04:00

This is a 12x12 acrylic on cotton canvas. Two very shiny JonahMac apples on a white cloth by a sunny window. My daughter has already eaten the one in the back... she thought that was so cool...

Day 16... "September Sun"

2008-09-09T16:41:00.002-04:00

This sunflower took me all day. I find that the more I paint, the more detail oriented I get. I love this one. I will continue working in this smaller format, simply because it is more manageable for me to get a painting done in one day. I like the 12x12 inch canvas. This painting is for sale at my Etsy Store.

Day 15... "Monarch Days"

2008-09-08T11:56:00.003-04:00

Well, here it is! This is a 12x12 inch acrylic painting of a Monarch Butterfly sipping nectar from a purple coneflower. I want to do more work like this where I can play with what is going on in the background. I am going for the very out of focus look, you know there are other things there, but you can't make them out. They are less important than what is going on in the foreground,... But, you can't have a foreground without a background, so it has to be there. I like the general softness of this painting. The crystal clear butterfly, with all of its contrasts, makes a nice balance with the softer flowers and blur in the back. Remember, this painting is for sale at my etsy store.

Day 14...(sneak preview of day 15)

2008-09-07T22:53:00.002-04:00

Good evening all. I have been working on a new painting but I got started kinda late, so, instead of rushing it and doing a so so job, I decided to finish up tomorrow. I wanted to give you a tiny peak at what I am doing... stay tuned for tomorrows post.

Day 13... "Blushing Beauty"

2008-09-06T21:22:00.002-04:00

Today I chose a pear... I know, it's a very popular subject these days, but there is a good reason for that. You can give a pear so much personality, you can tweek it and give it bumps and spots and different color variations. Again, I am discovering the potental of complimentary colors. I used red, green, yellow, some white and some black in this painting. Most of the shadows are degrees of red and green mixed together. Red and green are opposite each other on the color wheel, therefore they are "complimentary" Just as blue and orange, and yellow and purple. When these colors get mixed they create a muddy neutral color, sort of cancelling each other out.

Anyway, this is a 6x6 mini canvas, acrylic painting. Cute for a little nook in the kitchen. For sale at www.kre8or.etsy.com

Day 12...New Beginning

2008-09-05T23:03:00.004-04:00

A house becomes a home when you know its story. People live and they love, they work and they change. All of these things are what makes a place more than a place. A house gains a purpose and gathers warmth when there is well deserved love inside it. A new beginning for a family that is close to my heart.

I haven't been here for a while. Went away for the holiday weekend, then I got sick, but I am back now and I am ready to march on with my daily paintings. This is a 16x20 inch acrylic portrait of my sisters new home. It is actually her wedding gift....so, If you happen to see this..... congratulations and I love you.

Day 10... "Summer Suzies"

2008-08-29T15:58:00.002-04:00

I love black eyed suzies!. This is a watercolor painting, 8x10 on heavy watercolor paper. I am going to camp for the long weekend, I will be bringing my colored pencils and watercolors, so hopefully I can make my daily art. If I don't post until Monday it's because I couldn't get any internet where I am going. I will try!

Day 10... "Nuthin"

2008-08-29T00:48:00.003-04:00

I painted ALL day today. I was doing a portrait of my daughter riding a horse.. Finally I decided to give it to my daughter and let her finish it. I tend to be very critical of my own work, but there usually comes a time during the painting when I breathe a happy sigh, and i know it is done. No happy sighs today, just frustration. Painting portraits is not easy for me. If it doesn't come out exact, then I don't want to put my name on it. My biggest problem was with proportion. I got to a point in the painting where fixing it would be harder than just starting all over. The horse was too long, my daughter looked 16 and she's only 10. Any way, I just wanted to keep up with my daily posting, so I will put a tiny portion of the painting on here. It figures, the only part I was fairly happy with was the horses ass.

Day 9... "Tomatoes in Pewter"

2008-08-27T17:14:00.002-04:00

Well the kids are back in school, so I was able to get this painting done from start to finish, no interruptions. When my husband saw the painting for the first time, he asked me if the bowl was pewter.... I said yes, and he told me that people once thought tomatoes were poisonous, when in fact, it was the pewter dishes they were placed upon. The acid in the tomato would release the lead from the metal and cause lead poisoning. Yikes! Maybe I should just title this painting "toxic". Oh well, that's art for you. You can paint things that may not work together in real life, but they take on a whole new meaning on the canvas. I love the softness of pewter and the tomatoes were just so pretty with it. Fun painting to do... Enjoy

PS, the painting is 16x20 " and it was done with acrylic.

Day 8... "Background Gallery"

2008-08-26T22:20:00.005-04:00

OK so today I was trying to get my Sept. first art show ready for the big opening... I wanted the observer to look at my work in a gallery type atmosphere. So.... I drew one, took a digital image and voila, instant virtual gallery! Ok so it's not a masterpiece but I think it works ok for how I am using it, think atmosphere... Each blank space on the wall is for a painting to be "hung" Go to my website to see how it looks with some art in it! www.sharonmarston.net

Day 7... "Hello Lemons"

2008-08-25T23:20:00.002-04:00

Went to the market today and bought some lemons! I like the theme of fruits with a complimentary color in the back ground. I think this is the start of something!!!
For sale on Sept.1st at www.sharonmarston.net

Day 6..."Hint of Lime"

2008-08-24T19:53:00.003-04:00

Hi. The only fruit I could find around the house today was limes. I thought I would play with some
complimentary colors
in this composition. I ended up having a lot of fun painting this. It is a 12x12 inch acrylic painting on stretched cotton canvas. This will be for sale at my website on Sept. 1st. www.sharonmarston.net Please visit my online store for more of my creations, www.kre8or.etsy.com

Day 5... "Apple"

2008-08-23T21:29:00.003-04:00

It seems like the simpler something is, the more difficult I make it. Not happy with my apple, but here it is anyway.

Check this out!

2008-08-22T18:24:00.004-04:00

Hi! Every once in a while I will feature another artist that I have purchased from. When I am happy with a transaction from start to finish, I want to let everyone know about it. The crafter or artist that has great customer service deserves more customers! That is why I would like to present to you a new bag that I got today from Bizzie Lizzie an Etsy seller .... Please stop by her shop for some fantastic hand crafted bags and other fine fabric creations. Check it out!

Day 4... "August Fields"

2008-08-22T12:49:00.004-04:00

This was actually a very quick colorful chalk pastel drawing. I like the colors and the simplicity of it. I am making some notecards with this drawing along with some of the others. The cards will be for sale today at www.kre8or.etsy.com. Remember my originals will go on sale on Sept 1st at www.sharonmarston.net

Day 3.... "Ginger"

2008-08-21T14:13:00.007-04:00

This is a portrait of my yellow lab named... you guessed it, Ginger. She is so wiggly and loveable! Cute, cute, cute. Notecards available at my Etsy store, Kre8or

Day 2.... "Roosting"

2008-08-20T21:25:00.001-04:00

This one took me a bit longer than yesterday. I need to remind myself to take on less ambitious projects until the kids are back in school. I have so much fun making art! I can get so much more detail with colored pencil than I can with paint. I guess I am more of a realist when using pencil and an impressionist when I paint. Who cares..... I am having fun. Enjoy! Notecards available at my store,
Kre8or

Day 1... "TWINS"

2008-08-19T21:40:00.002-04:00

These little bunnies live at my inlaws farm across the street from me. Just too cute to resist. I go over there often with my camera for inspiration. This is a one of a kind colored pencil drawing. It will be up for sale on my website September 1st, along with my other daily art. www.sharonmarston.net
Notecards available at my store, Kre8or

My Etsy Store

2008-08-14T17:32:00.001-04:00