Sunday

"Jet Lag", acrylic and collage painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Jet Lag", acrylic and collage, 7.5 x 7.5"
$250 framed in a black floater frame, FREE S&H

I painted this painting just before I went to France, but hadn't titled it. Yesterday as I was preparing for the Calyx show, I knew what it was called! This is exactly how I am feeling right now... although the painting was never supposed to be a face, but there it is. I tried to get rid of it, but it wasn't going away. Today's show was a smash hit for me, and it was the mixed media that was flying out the doors . Thanks to all of you who were able to come out, it was so great to meet so many new art fans.

Enjoy!

To purchase this, or commission your own painting, please email me.

Saturday

"Posies", acrylic and collage painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

(see description below)


"Posies", acrylic and collage, 9x9"
$275.00 in simple, narrow, dark blue frame, FREE S&H

Well, I must say it is good to be back home! I had to cancel my Canmore workshop, as I was just too bagged to really show up, and will let you know when it is rescheduled.

I began this painting at a collage workshop this spring, and have finished it for the Calyx show tomorrow. The top image is the way the unfinished painting looked at the end of the workshop. I liked how it felt like a floral bouquet, so decided to take that idea further. The background was repainted with casein, which is a much better opaque paint than acrylic.

Hope you can stop in to see the Calyx show Sunday and say hi. I am praying that I will be able to lose the rest of this jet lag by then.

Enjoy!

To purchase this, or commission your own painting, please email me.

Thursday

Home Again -and favorite painting of the trip

I thought I would post the painting that made the biggest impression on me of all the thousands of paintings I saw while I was in France. This painting by Vincent Van Gogh titled "Church at Auvers" from 1890 just blew my socks off. None of the reproductions I have seen prepared me for the luminosity that this painting has. It just GLOWS! Van Gogh's work MUST be seen in person to really appreciate his brilliance as an artist. Honestly! Whereas the Mona Lisa is pretty much 'what you see is what you get' there are a number of artists that need to be seen in person to be fully apprehended. Another is Pissaro -each of his brushstrokes must have at least 5 colours in them. And I could name a few others, but right now my brain is MUSH.

Right now it is 3am Paris time (which has become my time) and I am writing this from the airport in Toronto where I have a 5 hour layover until my flight leaves for Calgary - to arrive Friday at 1:00am Calgary time (9am Paris time). Now don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to be back in Canada, where the Icelandic volcano can't keep me stranded any longer. But I can't sleep on airplanes, so I have been up way too long. Sorry if this all sounds like drivel, but I thought I would use the time waiting to make this post.

Thanks so much to all of you who prayed for our safe flights; and for those who were rather sarcastic about our being stranded...well, I will leave that for another day.

Monday

Paris at night

This is a little scene that I just now came upon, one block from our hotel. This is a very typical one of an outdoor cafe, yet the setting is unique in that it is in a quiet square surrounded by flowering cherry trees. Most of central Paris that I have seen is mostly brick, with very limited green spaces -as you can see above, it is amazing that these trees survive in the concrete jungle.
We have managed to book a return flight home for Thursday, so here's hoping it will go. If we get cancelled again, who knows how far down the line we will be!
Fortunately my workshop in Canmore on Saturday and Calyx are willing to not cancel me, on the hopes that I will indeed get home as scheduled. If I do, and you see me, be gentle on me -it has been a rather stressful end to a wonderful trip.
Bon Nuit!

Friday

Smelling the flowers!

Today was a beautiful sunny day here in Paris. After a late, but good night sleep, we headed into the city from the airport and checked into our hotel Claude Bernard on the left bank. We walked around Notre Dame cathedral where the spring flowering trees are overflowing with wonderful flowers, and the tulips are the largest I have ever seen. I have been able to smell some hyacinths, and they really refresh the soul. Thank you for all of your notes of support and your prayers, they are both much appreciated! We have a flight scheduled for Sunday for Paris/Montreal/Toronto/Calgary, so if we are able to fly then, I will be exhausted, but very glad to get back home. Sunday is Dave's and my 30th wedding aniversary, so I would really hate to miss it.
Au revoir for now...

Thursday

Stranded in Paris!

Hi all: Evan and I are stranded in Paris at the moment -I know what you are thinking "life could be worse" -and you would be absolutely correct. We are very fortunate as we are in a hotel instead of sleeping in an airport; we have a hotel booked in the left bank of Paris for the next 2 nights and a new flight booked for Sunday. It is the uncertainty of all of this that is really challenging me at the moment. I have calmed down enough to begin to see the gift in this, but with things at home pressing in on me (scheduled to teach on Wednesday, workshop to teach in Canmore on Saturday and the huge Calyx show on Sunday -which I am not yet totally ready for), not to mention my son who is supposed to be doing some work on his show on Monday, plus auditions scheduled, it requires some readjustment of thinking.

For those of you who are praying people, I would ask that you would please lift up a prayer for us. I know that we are in the center of God's will, but we need patience, wisdom and faith right now, in fresh measure. Thank you so much!

Will try to keep you posted.
Au revoir for now.

Friday

Hi from France!

I thought I would be able to post to this blog while I am away, but alas I didn't realize that my computer has a three pronged plug, and my adapter is only for a two pronged one, and my computer ran out of batteries checking my emails. So I am writing this to you on my son's laptop,(just like Apple to make their's a two pronged plug!) So I don't have my Photoshop or software to get my photos on here...needless to say I am more than a little frustrated after dragging the darn thing all the way here!

Anyhow, we are having a great time in France. We spent four days in Paris (thanks to Francoise for the excellent hotel recommendation) then headed to the west coast and Honfleur. It poured rain so Evan and I sat in a cafe and sketched the view -too cool to be able to share our passions for drawing and painting together. When I get back I will post our sketches. Then we went on to the Loire valley and today we visited the castle at Chenonceau. Lovely chateau built over a quiet river. Now we are in the Dordogne and looking for some more wonderful adventures.

Take care my friends -talk to you as I am able!

Thursday

Upcoming Calyx show

It is again time for the wonderful Calyx Distinctive arts show. This spring I will be displaying my oils, mixed media and watercolour paintings on Sunday only. There are different artists present on Saturday and Sunday, you can check their website to see which artists are on which day. The biannual Calyx show has become 'the thing to do' for art and fine craft lovers, so much so that people line up at the doors to get in at 10am. That is truly an unusual thing, given our economy.

I am off to Paris in the morning -I know, poor me! I am treating my 24 yr old actor son to a 2 week tour of France, as a mother/son bonding event and as a gift for graduating university (bachelor of theatre performance, Ryerson University, Toronto). He graduated last year, but he has been involved with film productions and this was the first time we could get away together. I am hoping to post some great photos that I take while I am away, and hopefully a few pen and ink and watercolour sketches as well. I will be back on April 16th, so until then...

Au revoir!