Built to Last

 

The subject matter of this painting is a local House of Refuge. Well over 100 years ago the mainland of Florida and the barrier islands were not connected by bridges or causeways. The only way to traverse this water, the Indian River, was by boat. Many ships ran aground on the hidden reefs in this area of the ocean. Our government build these rescue houses, spacing them about 25 miles apart. The rangers that staffed the houses were responsible for the passengers and crew of any ships that capsized within that radius. After the rescue they would house these survivors until they could be transported to the mainland. It is such an interesting and beautiful spot on the Atlantic coast. Great for plein air painting which resulted in this rendition.

Watercolor 16x20
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Kimba

 

Once in a while one of my students will ask to do a tiger or other wild animal. This guy was painted doing lots of dry brush technique to achieve an impression of fur. When done I washed out a bit of the painting and instead of covering it I decided to leave the area as white fur. I call him "Kimba" from the white lion cartoons my kids used to watch on Saturday mornings eons ago.

Watercolor 10 x 14
email sferina222@yahoo.com

On the Beach

 

Imagine being on a pristine beach with white sugar sands..........all by yourself or with your loved ones? That is what I painted, the chance to enjoy peace and beauty undisturbed by noise, chatter or interruptions of any kind. Picture pulling up to this beach in your boat, getting ashore and then just enjoying the serenity and beauty of the water, the sand and sunshine, all in your own little world. Yay!

Watercolor 14 x 18
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Astilmaria

 

During a class I demonstrated how to use paper doilys to created a whimsical ground for painting a vase of flowers. After positioning the doily, an atomoizer is used to spray the paint on. It is a small gadget, somewhat L-shaped, that is placed in a watery solution of paint so you can blow the paint onto the surface. Other impressions can also be made this way, such as leaves . It adds another dimension to using watercolor techniques and produces a beautiful impression of lace. I chose to add a very colorful but muted background.

Watercolor 8x10
email sferina222@yahoo.com

On the Farm

 

This watercolor demo was done to show techniques giving texure to wood. Using the wrong end of a brush, an end that is rather pointy, you just draw lines and boards are formed. It has to be done carefully because once a depression is made in watercolor paper, it can't be removed! Some artists sign their work this way because of it's permanency. Using drybrush technique is a way to make wood look old and weathered. You can see how important shadows are to a painting. They give depth and reality along with perception. The farmgirl carrying a basket is the result of a mistake. Meaning I covered something up creatively!

Watercolor 12x16
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Jake

 

One of my friends, Zee, lost a pet due to advancing age and medical issues. He was a very special dog named Jake. She was heartbroken. The only way I knew to try and make things better was to offer to paint a watercolor of her precious buddy. When I sat down to paint I tried to invoke the essence of this special companion. I wanted her to recognize him and feel comforted by his image. She was very pleased.

French Cafe

 

This is one of several versions of a composition based on a cocktail napkin. Some of these napkins are really very attractive and I'm sure they are created by artists! Changing the colors, adding the people and naming the shop were fun ways to use the original and convert it into my design. It was done in watercolor class and the students enjoyed the whimsical feel of painting a charming French cafe.

Not for sale

Leafy Impressions

 

This is one of my creations using garden clippings. Taking the trimmings from the plants in pots on my lanai and the bushes surrounding my home I then monoprint with watercolor paints. It's fun but a rather messy propostion. First I coat the leaves with paint and them imprint them on paper trying for a pleasing design. The container is added last which brings the compostion together.

Watercolor 11x14
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Seashell Symphony

 

This watercolor took many hours and many layers of paint to complete. It starts with just 2 colors, burnt sienna and cobalt blue. The paper is covered with puddles that are then dripped off. This is done at least three time until the right background color is achieved. Then a composition of real shells are placed on the paper and the outside edges are traced. The paint is removed within the seashell shape, back to white paper. The the shells are painstakingly replicated. Once the shadows are added the piece is finished.

Watercolor 16x20
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Memories of Edenlawn

 

This painting is the result of my first commission! I was so excited that someone asked me to paint a cottage that had special romantic memories in their life. That is, until I saw this place. It was seriously unattractive painted a drab brown and had a rather flat roof. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds and wild tropical growth. I did three rendtions before I had one that I felt was appealing. The purchaser was happy and chose my first painting. This is the third that I recently dug out and did a re-tread on..........like tires, meaning a fix-up or repair.

Watercolor 15x20
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Real Roses

 

I was given a dozen beautiful red roses as a thank you. They graced my table with beauty until they started to fade. Just before I threw them in the trash I decided to try momoprinting with them. Using watercolor paint I imprinted the roses on paper. Then I monoprinted the leaves and fern to surround the roses and added a container. A light background wash was all that was needed to complete my composition. Neat? I think so.

Watercolor 15x22
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Secluded Beach

 

Sometimes I start a painting wet in to wet with a sky, in this case a mingled wash. At the same time the water and sandy foreground was added. After drying I let inspiration guide me into a finish. Palms of course, groundcover too. Afterwards I added a couple of folks in sand chairs with an umbrella and cooler. Last I decided it looked secluded so I added a means of reaching this private beach.

Watercolor 10x14
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Barely There

 

Painting when I travel is part of my life. It's easy to do watercolors everywhere so I always bring a travel pallette, brushes and paper. If there's some down time in a hotel or on a beach, or even in a jetplane, I paint. It is such a pleasant way to pass time and it's also productive. I did this little vase of flowers in St. Petersburg FL while on a trip to celebrate my birthday.

Not for sale

Bright Bouquet

 

This was painted on a watercolor card which is about 5 by 7 inches in size. I enjoy the uplifiting feeling I get everytime I look at it. Sooooo, it sits on my studio desk as a reminder to paint with joy and beauty and thereby bring happiness to the world.

Not for sale

John Singer Sargent's Thistles

 

Every once in a while I choose a painting from a past master to demo for my class. There is so much for us to learn from the successful artists of yesteryear. John Singer Sargent did many wonderful watercolors throughout his career as an artist. I truly appreciate his work and strive to make my work have the impact that his paintings had. He took a simple subject of 2 thistle plants and made a masterpiece out of it.

Watercolor 6x9 $110
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Inspired

 

Another in a series of grape, vine, winery inspirations. Grapes are so fascinating to me and not just because of their delicious products! I love how they grow, hidden by spring green leaves, the grapes first a whitish green and then ripening into a darker maroonish purple. These are my favorite colors. Add a bit of aqua blue as accent and it's just right. This painting says: "Sharon's favorite colors".

Watercolor on Yupo paper 9x12 $155
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Ready for Wine and More

 

This is another piece painted on Yupo paper depicting grapes. I'm facinated by them and realize it's because my parents had a grape arbor in our yard. I loved riding on a swing so my Dad hung one under the grape arbor. In the summer, as a young child I spent lots of time happily swinging to and fro in the cool shade of the grapes. Then I would watch my mother work so hard to prepare and preserve the grapes for juice and jelly. It was a messy, ardous process but we got to enjoy grape juice all winter and were able to slather homemade grape jelly on our waffles and sandwiches. Delicious.

Watercolor 9x12 $175
email sferina222@ yahoo.com

Napa Valley Winery

 

This is a mineature painting, only about 2 inches by 3 inches in size. It's very detailed and captures the essence of the beautiful Napa Valley. I know that I repeat myself but the very 'air' is different there. So soft and peaceful and fragrant! A delight to the senses, a chance to treat your eyes to beautiful scenery and your pallette to delicious tastes of local wine. If you have the chance, go.

Watercolor 2x3 $75
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Waterfall

 

This is my first and possibly, last, attempt to paint a waterfall. Duplicating moving water takes lots of creative talent and most likely, lots of practice. Perhaps I was so discouraged that I never tried another? The ducks were added to pull the eye away from the falls.

Watercolor 12x16 $150
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Hollyhock Memories

 

While I was growing up in Valley Stream, Long Island we always had a beautiful flowering garden in our backyard. There were roses, lilacs, daffodils, iris, bridal veil and always....hollyhocks. These stately perennials are really beautiful to see, tall, graceful and filled with blooms. Since my mother passed away I wanted to honor her memory by planting a hollyhock in our yard in Suffolk County. It flourished and gave me some fond memories when I looked at it. Before we moved south I took photos enabling me to have a painted memory.

Not for sale

For Me?

 

This watercolor evolved over time to become a surprised lady, maybe being given flowers? Or a gift of some kind? Done on Yupo paper it was started by putting colors down in puddles and letting them mix and mingle. When dry, I search for a clue to proceed, find meaning, emotion, and/or a feeling to complete the painting. These pieces of artwork really create themselves.

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Lilac Farm, WA state

 

The Pacific Northwest has great weather for growing flowers. I've been to tulip farms, rhododendren and rose gardens and also one stately garden that is strictly lilacs. It's not a large area. maybe several acres. It was cultivated soley by one woman who loved lilacs. At one point a flood destroyed almost all the bushes but she lovingly re-planted what she could salvage to restore her life's work. It was so beautiful with all the lilacs blooming at the same time,which was April, and the fragrance was uplifting. A nice experience.

Watercolor 10x14 $200
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Winter Wonderland

 

I went into a local thrift shop and saw 6 unframed prints for sale. The idea popped into my head to purchase them and use them for my watercolor class. They were placed face down and I asked each student to choose one at random. Sort of like a lottery. They were given the option of trading with each other if they really felt unable to paint the one they wound up with. I don't advocate copying others work except in a classroom situation. It does help students learn about compostion, color, shadows and values. This print was signed R.W. Ware and this is my rendition of his work.

Watercolor 10x14 $115
email sferina222@yahoo.com

Pelican Perch

 

This watercolor was painted as a demo for my class. The focus was on texture. Creating a weather wood effect takes practice and learning how to make your brush behave. Just the right amount of paint is needed to get the stippling result needed to mimic woodgrain. Too much paint and it flows, too little and nothing happens. Just right and the paint just touches the uneven bumps in the paper and leaves a sparkly effect.

Watercolor 9x12 $175
email sferina222@yahoo.com

House of Refuge frrom the South

 

The House of Refuge is a local historic building built to help the survivors of shipwrecks. It is located by an underwater reef just off a barrier island. There were many catastrophes due to this hidden peril. Survivors would swim to shore and then be stranded without food or water, nor a means to reach the mainland. In current day it is an active museum. The surroundings are breathtaking. The ocean crashes, the wind blows and you get a feel for the isolation that occurred before it was built.

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