Saturday

"Three Sisters", acrylic painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Three Sisters", 9x 12" acrylic painting
SOLD

I did this acrylic version of the famous Three Sisters in Canmore from a photo I took along the Bow River in late fall. It was interesting doing it in full body acrylic instead of my usual oil paint, and was quite happy with the results. The painting is currently in my show at Gallery 109 in High River.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Tuesday

Merry Christmas 2012!!

"Merry Christmas 2012!", 4 x 5.5" gouache

Having fun with gouache, and decided to use this 'new to me' medium to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Thank you all for your support, it means more to me than you will ever know.
Blessings, my friends : )

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"Bird's Nest", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Bird's Nest", 8 x 8" oil painting on canvas
SOLD

I did a painting from life of a bird's nest at the beginning of the year, and it was really nice to revisit the theme at the end of the year -maybe that should become a ritual? It seems like lots of people connect with the imagery -maybe it is just the time of year when we take on our nesting mindset with the advent of winter; maybe there is more to it than that. Whatever it is, it seems like a great subject for further investigation.

I recently read a great post on the Oil Painters of America Blog written by Jane Barton that is really touching home for me these days!!  She was thinking how the 5 stages of grief apply to the work of an artist. She restated them as follows:
Denial: This is not bad…not the painting I had in my head when I started…but maybe this will work…
Anger: Why isn’t this working? Why can’t I find that color? Why can’t I draw a horse?
Bargaining: OK, if you (the Art God?) just let me get this one painting done in time for the show, I promise I’ll clean up my studio and give up popcorn…and maybe ice cream.
Depression: This is never going to work. What made me think I could paint?
Acceptance: Well, this is not bad. This is going to work for now and the next one will be even better. I hope. I just have to keep working at it and I will get as close as I can before I die.
Repeat 5 stages of Painting. Order may be shuffled as needed.
Good Luck! And don’t give up!

I give that a big AMEN.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)


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Thursday

"Where's The Fire?", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Where's The Fire?", 6x8" oil painting on 3/4" panel, framed in shadowbox frame
SOLD

Sticking with the old car theme, this is done from a photo I took of a vintage fire truck while I was in Estes Park, CO. I loved how the reflection of the cool blue sky contrasted with the heat of the truck.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Monday

"Model A -Going", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Model A -Going",  14 x 14" oil  painting on gallery wrap canvas
SOLD

I was lucky enough to have a reader inform me after my last post, that the car I had painted was definitely NOT a Model T, but a Model A. She also invited me to come and not only photograph her husbands fine collection of antique cars, but to be included in a vintage car journey with the Foothills Model T Ford club!!!
Now I am beside myself with excitement and anticipation -you can expect to see more beautiful car paintings from me in the near future : )

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Thursday

'Model T -Coming" Oil Painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

'Model T -Coming", 14x14" Oil Painting on gallery wrap canvas
$450 -click here to purchase (currently at Gallery 109 in High River)

I followed this car home when I was in Estes Park this summer, and ran up to the owner as he was closing his garage door begging him to let me photograph his very cool Model T Ford -of course I had to explain to him that I was an artist and wanted to paint it, and that I really wasn't stalking him!!

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Friday

"Leighton Centre" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Leighton Centre", 9x12" plein air oil painting
$495beautifully framed

This is another one that I didn't post from the year. I have always wanted to paint the beautiful Leighton home, but have been afraid to try it plein air -that architecture can be difficult, especially from life. But with the experience I gained in Tuscany painting all those buildings, I have a new confidence to tackle this subject.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Sunday

"Beside The River", fluid acrylic painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Beside The River", 12x12" fluid acrylic painting on paper
SOLD

I recently taught a "Acrylics As Watercolour" workshop in Grande Prairie to an absolutely wonderful group of women from the Peace River Chapter of the Federation Of Canadian Artists. This is the demo I did for them -focusing on repainting one of our successful paintings using a colour scheme (to keep their minds off the fact that they were using an unfamiliar medium!!). Below is my original watercolour that I did at another workshop. The colour scheme for this painting was a triad of yellow-green, red-violet and red-orange. So much fun to mix things up!!

If you are interested in taking this workshop from me, I will be teaching one in Canmore March 23 & 24, and one in Edmonton on April 6 & 7. Let me know if you want more information!!
Enjoy!

To commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Thursday

"Bend In The Elbow", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Bend In The Elbow", 8 x 10" plein air oil painting on board
on DPW auction beginning at $80, click here to bid

This is another of my 'last of fall' plein air oils. I have painted at this spot on several occasions, always in the fall. It is interesting to see how different all the paintings are. That just proves to me that I have different artistic concerns every time I go out to paint. I just need to tune into what impresses me about the scene on that day, and try to show that in paint.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)


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Sunday

"Forget-Me-Not Pond" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Forget-Me-Not Pond", 9 x 12" plein air oil painting on board
SOLD

This is one of my favorite paintings of the year, although the photo doesn't do it justice. I am now unable to shoot my photos outside because of the low angle of the sun, snow and cold. I tried this one in my studio, and even though I have perfect daylight lighting, the glare off the paint doesn't allow for the richness of colour to shine through. I think I will have to make myself one of those photo cubes everyone is raving about. Only question is what kind of spotlight gives the right temperature so that the colours will be true?? Any tips are greatly appreciated!

I came across this great quote today, that I think I will apply to myself as an artist:
“I began see that God didn't make the horse to win at the races, but for his pleasure – to watch it run.” Peter Furler 
This gives me great freedom to just paint to the glory of God, and leave the results to Him. Amen!


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Saturday

"Cascade From Canmore", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Cascade From Canmore", 8 x 10" plein air oil painting
on auction at DPW starting at $80, click here to bid

This is one from the summer that I never got a chance to post. I have always wanted to paint Cascade Mtn as it is one of my favorites. I love the feeling driving towards Banff that the road is going to smack into it, but it turns just before it hits. There was quite a summer haze over it this day, so I had to play around to find out how to show the distance but still keep the awesomeness of the mountain.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Thursday

"Bands of Autumn" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Bands of Autumn" 8 x 10"plein air oil painting
$395 beautifully framed

Sometimes when I go out painting, I am just struck by the abstract in the landscape. This was one such time. I loved the linear layers: the tall trees against the distant mountains, the bushes with their interesting shapes (and my colours!), all with the newly harvested fields in between. Yummy!

By the way, if I may be so bold to brag, my fabulously talented son Evan recently starred in the movie called "The Fortune Theory". If you are interested, you can watch the trailers here. Click on the blue circle on the upper left to see the menu, with the trailers.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Tuesday

"Canoe Meadows Fall" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Canoe Meadows Fall", 9 x 12" plein air oil on board
$495 beautifully framed

I did this painting after the t-pee on my Kananaskis paintout. It was interesting because the trees in the foothills had gone brown due to lack of rain in August and September, but as soon as we turned into K Country the colour bounced back to vibrant yellows and oranges.
I have been very busy since my daughter moved back home from Ontario. I am thrilled that she is living with us until she finds herself an apartment, but my days are more full. I never got a chance to post the last of my plein air's before the snow hit, so will do so this week.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Sunday

"Alberta's History", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Alberta's History", 9 x 12" plein air oil painting
$250 unframed, click here to purchase

I went on a painting trip with my good friend Nadien and as we approached Kananaskis Country, we noticed that the Stoney Nakota Casino had erected a series of t-pees on their property. Having never painted a t-pee before, I was keen to give it a go. It was great fun to paint from life -I love the light bouncing around on the canvas.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Tuesday

"Autumn's In The Air", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Autumn's In The Air", 8 x 10" plein air oil painting on board
$200 unframed, click here to purchase

I have painted at this spot several times before, but they all look very different. I am in love with the colour harmonies on this one.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Sunday

Tuscany 2013 painting workshop announced!!

I am just THRILLED to announce my upcoming plein air workshop in Tuscany Sept 1-15, 2012!!
For ALL the details and TONS of photos, please go to my website page for the workshop -just click here.
I would love to hear from you if you think you might be interested as I need to put a deposit on the villa by the end of December!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends :)
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Friday

"Fall Dusk" plein air painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Fall Dusk", 8 x 10" plein air oil on board
up for auction at DPW beginning at $75, click here to bid

This is a spot very close to my home, perfect for a quick one after dinner. It was quite fun to paint as the sky just kept on changing, quite the show. I hope I captured some of the magnificence of what the Lord seems to do so easily!

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Wednesday

"Leighton Trees", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Leighton Trees", 8 x 10" plein air oil
$395 framed in a espresso plein air framed, click here to purchase

This is the first painting I did after I tore my achilles tendon. These are the wonderful trees outside the Leighton Art Centre that seem to take on very unique characteristics depending on the day. Don't ask me why the trees on the right are different colours than those on the left as they are the same species, and I have never seen them so different before.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)


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Monday

"Colourful Afternoon", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Colourful Afternoon", 9 x 12" plein air oil
on auction at DPW beginning at $100, click here to bid

Once again I returned to one of my favorite places to paint to capture the light and colour at this country pond, which I recently found out is owned by a friend of mine. Apparently the show "Heartland" uses this beautiful spot to film in -I can certainly see why!

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Sunday

"Iris Explosion", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Iris Explosion", 8 x 10" oil, $395 framed
click here to purchase

I was having some fun playing with transparent, translucent and opaque paint in this one. I really wanted to see if I could capture the glow of the flowers in the sunlight, without the use of strong light and shadow. It was really fun to do.

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Saturday

"Athabasca Valley & Snowdome", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Athabasca Valley & Snowdome", 7 x 12" plein air oil painting on board
SOLD

This is the only painting that I did on the way home from Jasper. It was such a long drive that we didn't take too much time to stop and paint, plus it was pretty cloudy -but when the sun came out -spectacular!! The drive from Jasper to Banff is the prettiest drive I have ever been on -if you ever get the chance -take it! I would like to do a large painting of this -maybe during this long winter ahead. Right behind this view is the Columbia Icefields -you can see the glacier at the top of the mountain on the right. Amazing, simply amazing!


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Friday

"View of Mt Edith Cavell", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"View of Mt Edith Cavell", 8 x 19" plein air oil on board
$200 unframed, click here to purchase

This is probably my favorite of my Jasper paintings. I have loved this mountain ever since I climbed up into her wildflower meadows over 30 years ago. The painting is done from Lake Annette. I couldn't get over the colours!!


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Wednesday

"Pyramid Mountain - Jasper", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Pyramid Mountain - Jasper", 9 x 12" plein air oil on board
$250 unframed, click here to purchase

I almost called this "There's Iron In Them Thar Hills!", but thought it was too long : ) This was the view at 180 degrees from yesterday's post. I was really excited to try to paint the lovely orange in the mountain -after all the grey, it was a delight to my eyes. I began the painting with a wash of transparent iron oxide, which I left to show in the orange bits, and I think it worked out really well.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)


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Tuesday

"Sunlight and Shadow", plein air painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Shadow and Sunlight", 8 x 6" plein air oil on board
SOLD

On our second day into our Jasper trip I found this view as we were scouting for painting locations. I was fascinated by the patterns and colours and tried to quickly get it in without too much analyzing -just reacting to what I saw. I really like this little painting!


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Monday

"Temple Mountain", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Temple Mountain", 8 x 6" plein air oil on board
SOLD

This is the second painting from my Jasper painting trip. This is my husband's favorite mountain in Banff National Park- at 12000 ft it is a difficult climb, which he had done on several occasions. This view is from Hubert Lake. There were people swimming in the lake while we were there, and it sure looked tempting.


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Sunday

"Lake Louise" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Lake Louise", 9x12" plein air oil on board
SOLD

This August I was thrilled to go on a painting journey to Jasper, AB with my good painting buddy and fabulous artist Patti Dyment. We have been talking about this trip for a long time and finally was able to make it happen. I did explain to Patti that as I was on crutches at the time, that she would have to act as a 'sherpa' for my gear, and she happily complied. We took my camper van which had room for both of us to have our own beds, so we were happy as clams, and about as cozy!

This is the first painting I did, sitting among the thousands of tourists. Get a load of my set-up with my cast! A little girl stopped by to ask me what I was painting -ever get that question? I asked her if it looked like anything around her and she said no. Her mother was very apologetic! The colour of the glacier fed waters of Lake Louise is just amazing and the water is very cold. There were tons of little red canoes out on the lake -I put one in and then took it out as I thought it was too distracting.



Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Thursday

Upcoming Watermedia Landscape Workshop by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Marsh Light #3", fluid acrylic on watercolor paper, double matted with archival mats
$475 framed

This was my second demo in using fluid acrylics as watercolours at my spring watermedia landscape workshop. I am about to hold another watermedia landscape workshop through Chinook Learning Services from Sept 20-22, 10 to 3pm each day (Thurs-Sat). We will be covering watercolour, gouache and acrylic in the class, using your choice of photo reference. Focus will be on puddling of colour for vibrant effects as well as edge control, composition and simplifying reference material to make sure your viewers will see what you intended them to see in the work.

"Pienza Laundry", fluid acrylic on illustration board, double matted with archival mats
on auction at DPW ON SATURDAY beginning at $100, click here to bid

This another demonstration of fluid acrylics as watercolours, except that the acrylic in this case is used transparently (building), translucently (sky and backgroud trees) and opaquely (laundry and roses). These different levels of opacity really make it feel like the sun is shinning on the subject and adds surface interest to the painting.  Some advantages of fluid acrylics over watercolours are: you can layer and glaze without making mud, the colour remains vibrant even when dry, you can use opaque and translucent passages to make the surface dynamic, and you can frame them like an oil painting without glass. The only disadvantage that I can think of is that you can't lift them when they are dry, but heck, you can always go in with opaque media!


This is some of my wonderful class at my spring workshop. Everyone said they had a wonderful time and learned a lot -I think I may have converted some of them to the dark side!!


 I am about to hold another watermedia landscape workshop through Chinook Learning Services from Sept 20-22, 10 to 3pm each day (Thurs-Sat) for the low, low price of only $295!!. You will make more than that back using what you will learn in the workshop in your own work!! We will be covering watercolour, gouache and acrylic in the class, using your choice of photo reference. Focus will be on puddling of colour for vibrant effects as well as edge control, composition and simplifying reference material to make sure your viewers will see what you intended them to see in the work. If you would like to join us, please click here for more information and to register.

PLEASE NOTE: MY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE HAS CHANGED DUE TO A TECHNICAL ERROR IN DATES!!! PLEASE SEE THE UPDATED SCHEDULE ON THE SIDE OF MY BLOG OR ON MY WEBSITE. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION : )



Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Tuesday

Upcoming Watermedia Landscape Workshop by Sharon Lynn Williams


 "Elbow River Spring", 7 x 7", watercolour double matted in archival mats
$260 framed

I am about to hold another watermedia landscape workshop through Chinook Learning Services from Sept 20-22, 10 to 3pm each day (Thurs-Sat). These paintings are my demonstration paintings from the workshop I held in the spring, and never had a chance to post. We will be covering watercolour, gouache and acrylic in the class, using your choice of photo reference. Focus will be on puddling of colour for vibrant effects as well as edge control, composition and simplifying reference material to make sure your viewers will see what you intended them to see in the work.

 "Falling Creek", 10.25 x 14.25", fluid acrylic double matted in archival mats
$490 framed

This was a demonstration in fluid acrylics and how they are actually superior to watercolours IMHO! Some advantages are: you can layer and glaze without making mud, the colour remains vibrant even when dry, you can use opaque and translucent passages to make the surface dynamic, and you can frame them like an oil painting without glass. The only disadvantage that I can think of is that you can't lift them when they are dry, but heck, you can always go in with opaque media!
So if you are interested in learning how to paint glorious paintings in watermedia, you can find out more information and register online here. Please note the low price of $295!!!


Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting or contact me to do a workshop in your area, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)


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Friday

A Few More From Colorado -plein air paintings by Sharon Lynn Williams



"Caught In The Act", 8x10" plein air oil on board
on auction at DPW, beginning at $80. click here to bid

It was late in the afternoon the day after the competition paintings were handed in, so I went out with new friend Anne Rogers to see what I could do with the pressure off. I was set up to paint this lovely stream when low and behold, a fly fisherman stepped into the scene. Now if you have ever tried to paint a fly fisherman plein air, then you know they don't stay still and they don't stay in one place more that 10 minutes! I decided to give him a whirl and quickly go in his gesture -one try, that's it. After I was reasonably satisfied with him, I painted in the rest of the scene loosely, so as not to upstage him.

"Morraine Valley", 9x12" plein air oil on board
SOLD

It was fun to try to capture the atmosphere between the lovely ponderosa pine and the mountain valley behind it. Amazingly enough, it took me way longer to paint the mountain than the tree, even though the tree looks like it would take longer. It is difficult to paint something with close values and colours and still have it read as a 3D object.


"View From Fern Tree Cottage", 9x12" plein air oil on board

This was a quick sketch of the view outside our lovely little cottage nestled along the Big Thompson River. Ken and June were our hosts at Bradshaw Cottages, just a hop, skip and a jump from downtown Estes Park. If you are ever in the area looking for a quiet retreat in a beautiful setting, check them out!

That's it for the Colorado paintings! It was a real blast -thanks for tagging along with me.By the way, photographer par excellence, Jim Rogers, photographed all of the painters at the event, made a movie of it and posted it on YouTube here -if you want to take a look see who my competition was!

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Thursday

Plein Air Rockies 2012 -final day and Quick Draw



"River Light", 12 x 9" plein air oil on board
SOLD
The finale of the painting part of the competition is the Quick Draw, in which the artists have 90 minutes to paint and frame a painting, and then the paintings are auctioned off in a live auction which follows immediately. It is a hectic time and very stressful for the artists! I chose to do the river which was just catching the morning light, casting it in a glowing golden light. I liked the idea of the coolness of the trees and rocks in the shadows contrasting with the sunbathed creek.


Here I am posing with the painting for the new owner. Hopefully she was able to get it back to her home without smearing the wet paint!! (please excuse the 'hat hair"!)

Later that evening the awards were announced and $12,000 in prizes given out. None to me, but I was just happy to have been invited to participate. The caliber of artists present was incredible, including many famous American artists (Jeff Legg , David Harms, Scott Freeman and Doug Braithwaite to name a few). It was truly humbling to be in such company, and they were all super nice people. I was fortunate to be able to snag a wonderful painting by watercolourist Gene Youngman, and I found out later that it was in the running for Best of Show. Lucky me : )

I was interviewed for the local newspaper and got a 2 page spread, which you can read here if you like. So ends another wonderful painting trip into the Rocky Mountain National Park. I wonder if I will be invited back again next year???

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Wednesday

Plein Air Rockies competition -day 4 & 5

 "Lumpies Gossips ii", 4 x 6" plein air oil on board
SOLD
SourceTek provided mini panels and frames for us to do a tiny painting on, as another part of the competition. I did a cool rock formation in the Lumpies Range, the same place I painted from last year. I loved how the rocks looked like two people deep in conversation -with a third turning their backs, hence the title.

"Long's From The Stanley Hotel", 9 x 12" plein air oil on board

I began this painting on day 2 just 1 hour before sunset, so needless to say I had to go back a couple of times to get it finished. This is the famous Long's Peak, one of Colorado's 14ers (peaks over 14,000 feet), and it is an icon in the area. (Incidentally my hubby climbed it a few days later, getting up at 3am in order to be off the peak mid-afternoon when the lightning often happens -that was the day after the painting was done for the competition, so I just slept and recuperated!)

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Monday

Plein Air Rockies 2012 competition -day 3


 "Big Thompson Canyon", 9x12" plein air oil on board
SOLD

Monday it was very cloudy and cool, and the haze from the nearby forest fires was putting a damper on the views around town, so I knew I had to find a more intimate view. We drove back down the canyon and I found this place with the overhanging rocks that I thought would make an interesting painting. I wish it had of been sunny, because then I think the painting would have really had some punch. As it was, the values were very close and the colours were quite neutralized -not my natural inclination at all. I loved the dead pine tree in the back as it added a nice spark of colour, but I know that the locals are really grieving the pine beetle infestation that has been killing off a lot of their beautiful trees. This is the only painting that I did that did not make it into the show.

"Waiting Place", 10 x 8" plein air oil on board

On Monday evening we held the 'Nocturne Paint Out". This was only my second attempt at painting at night, and it was quite fun. I had a headlamp on so I could see what colour was on my brush, but the painting itself was getting some light from a nearby streetlamp. I did this in Riverside Park, the location of Saturday's quick paint. The exposure on this photo is not correct, the painting actually looks much better in reality. That's what happens when you are forced to shoot wet oils in less than perfect conditions!!!

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Friday

Plein Air Rockies 2012 competition -day 2


 "Mrs. Walsh's Colours", 11x14" plein air oil on board

The second morning I went to a wonderful little garden right on the edge of downtown, created in honour of -you guessed it -Mrs Walsh! The space that was originally slated for more t-shirt shops and condos was rescued by Mrs Walsh and turned into a public garden. There wasn't much blooming while we were there, but when I saw the turquoise of the sage-family plants lit up by the sun I was hooked. Each participant in the competition could enter one piece painted in the garden as part of the show, and it had its own ribbon and award. The photo above is not very good, as the painting was very wet and shiny when I took the photo, but I think you get the idea. I didn't win the prize, but the judge from the quick draw did chose my painting as her personal favorite of the show, so I was very pleased!

"Fall River Calm", 11x14" plein air oil on board

I began this piece that same afternoon. By this time the wind had begun to blow and I nearly froze painting under the shade of a huge, old ponderosa pine, while my hubby was getting sunburned sitting 5 feet beside me reading a book and waiting for me to finish. I only got half of the painting done that day and had to return to finish it another day.

You might be wondering how I fared with my foot in a cast! Well, it definitely cramped my style as I could only paint within a few feet of the car, but the biggest effect I felt was that I just didn't have the stamina to paint that I have had in the past. I guess I hadn't taken into account the effect of being handicapped for the previous 7 weeks, and what that had done to degrade my physical conditioning. I was very thankful that my dear hubby went to all my painting spots with me, carting my gear for me, and then he entertained himself by hiking up whatever was nearby or by riding his bike for miles on the very steep park roads. He got tired physically and I was wiped emotionally and mentally at the end of the day.

All in all I am glad that I went, but I only produced 7 paintings compared to the 14 that I did the previous year, and I went back more than once for most of them -something I don't usually do. I did discover that it is a good thing to do if you can catch similar weather and light, because on the return I tended to simplify things which ended up in stronger paintings I think.

NEWS FLASH!!! I have just posted my workshop schedule for September and October on the right hand side of this blog, and on the 'Classes' section of my website. Perhaps you will be able to join me for an art adventure?

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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Wednesday

Plein Air Rockies 2012 competition -day 1


"Cascade -Big Thompson", 9x12" plein air oil on board
SOLD

This is the first painting I did during the Plein Air Rockies 2012 painting competition. We arrived on Saturday morning and I painted this from beside the long twisting road up to Estes Park -almost 20 miles of canyon with the Big Thompson River swooshing down, pretty amazing!
"Nature's Sculpture", 11x14" plein air oil on board

I began this painting after supper on the first day. I chose a panel that I had prepared with Gamblin's Oil Ground, which was way more slick on my board than I am used to (love it on canvas, but without any tooth, it became like glass). The paint just seemed to slide around, so I took advantage of this fact, and did some glazing and wiping away to develop the layers, as well as taking a rubber scrapper to add texture in some areas. I came back to this spot twice more before I finished this painting, which I entered into the competition, along with the one at the top of this post. I figured that it may not have been my very best work, but I doubted it would be ignored!! There is a neat mix of transparent vs opaque passages in the painting which makes it very compelling.

These paintings are in the show at the Cultural Arts Centre in Estes Park until the end of September if you are in the area and would like to see the show -it is amazing, and I am proud to be in such fine company -but more about that in the days to come : )

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, or commission your own painting, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)


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Sunday

"Making A Way", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Making A Way", plein air oil on board, 12 x 9"
$250 unframed, click here to purchase

This is the last post from my Plein Air Retreat at Diamond Willow Artisan Retreat in June. I did this painting outside when the rain finally stopped at 2pm on the last day of the workshop (which was to end at 4pm!). Talk about cutting it close! All that rain had made the little creek channels swell into mini rivers.


This is Rodney and Karima working from the kitchen windows. Rodney was very happy to produce his first painting ever!
And here is a group shot of everyone that took part in our wonderful, if not wet, adventure. Thanks guys, it was great fun!!

Enjoy!

To purchase this painting, commission your own painting, or contact me about a workshop, please email me at williamsdotsharonatshawdotca (insert characters for the dot and at!)

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