Saturday

Catching Up!


"December's Colours", 8x10" plein air oil on board
$395 beautifully framed,
click here to purchase

First off, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the very best in 2015! I have not posted lately with the birth of our new (and first) grandson plus the business of the holidays. Plus I have been inundated with email trying to sell me things I don't need or want, so thought you wouldn't want more email either (although I do hope you like my paintings!). We have not had much snow here so far this winter, so I thought I would post some earlier unshared paintings that feature snow as their subject.
Last year we had a ton of snow in December, and since the fall folliage was still remaining on some of the trees and bushes, I was happy to get out and capture some of that colour and contrast.

"Elbow River Winter Colour", 9 x 12" plein air oil
$495 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

I painted this in 2012 before the big flood which changed everything! Now the banks are yards and yards of gravel and downed trees.

"K-Country", 12x16" oil on board
SOLD

I did this one from memory when we got home from cross country skiing in Kananaskis country. It is the view from the bridge leading into the Kananaskis Lodge.

"Winter Fields", 8 x 10" plein air oil
$395 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

I find winter trees a real challenge to paint, but felt I got really close with this one.

"Winter Road", 6 x 8" oil on board
$295 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

You have got to love the winter skies here in Alberta!

"Winter's Textures", 8 x 10" plein air oil on board
SOLD

This is an impasto palette knife painting that I did right away after experiencing the scene on a walk. As I have had so much experience plein air painting, I find that I can take a mental snapshot and complete it at home, as long as I do it while it is fresh in my mind.

Enjoy!
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Wednesday

Lake O'Hara Paint-out by Sharon Lynn Williams

 "Lake O'Hara Splendor", 12x 12" plein air oil on board
SOLD

This September saw my plein air buddies and I painting once again at the magnificent Lake O'Hara in BC. This was my effort on our first day -the sun was out and it was GLORIOUS! I have painted from this place before, but never in such wonderful light. See previous year's efforts in the snow here,  here, and here. This was the first painting to sell at my current show at Fallen Leaf Gallery in Canmore.

"Opabin Lake", 9 x 12" plein air oil on board
Buy with Paypal

Opabin plateau holds the most number of mind blowing painting locations that I have ever seen. This is my first try at this scene, but it won't be my last!

"Larch And Odaray", 12 x 12" plein air oil on board
$575.00 beautifully framed
Buy With Paypal

This was my last painting of the trip as the rain blew in for the next 2 days, and it was just too cold and wet to paint outside, and too dark in the Elizabeth Parker hut. Seems to be the story of our paintouts - half the time it is glorious, and the other half, not so much!
I was really taken by this scene. It seemed to be a battle of beauty between the larch showing off its fall glory and the majestic Mt Odaray in the background.

The las two paintings are still available at Fallen Leaf Gallery in Canmore, and should be there until the end of December -unless one of you grabs it!

Enjoy


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Monday

Bow Valley Provincial Park Paintout by Sharon Lynn Williams

 "Autumn Middle Lake" 12 x 12" plein air oil on board
$575.00 beautifully framed
Click here to purchase

I was happy to meet my Canmore painting buddy at Bow Valley Provincial park this fall on a glorious but windy day. Both of these paintings were painted within 20 feet of each other, just pointing in a different direction.

"Yamnuska Autumn", 12 x 12" plein air oil on board
$575.00 beautifully framed
Click here to purchase

The time came for the second painting and the morning haze had burned off leaving a glowing blue sky, but the wind had also picked up quite a bit. I was practically standing in the water for this one, trying to find a spot out of the breeze.

Both of these paintings are currently at Fallen Leaf Gallery in Canmore until the end of the month.

Enjoy!

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Saturday

Painting Trip To Mt Assiniboine by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Mt Assiniboine", 12 x 12" plein air oil
$575 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

I was fortuntate to return this summer to Mt Assiniboine for a 4 day painting trip. I love this area as the views are easily accessible and extremely beautiful. This peak is the tallest in the area. Normally one would hike 20km in to get here, but we cheated and took a helicopter in!

"Meadow Lark", 9x12" plein air oil
$495 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

The evening light on our first day at Mt Assiniboine National Park really lit up the colour on this meandering creek.

"Wonder Peak". 6x8" plein air oil UNFRAMED
On auction at DPW beginning at $150
click here to bid

More evening light, this on our second day. You can hike over Wonder Pass for more beautiful views, but I chose to paint rather than hike.

"Mountain Meadow", 9x9" plein air oil
SOLD

Another quick one as the sun was reaching the horizon, setting the landscape ablaze with colour.

These paintings are in my new show in Canmore at Fallen Leaf Gallery. My good friend and painting buddy Patti Dyment and I are having a show of our plein air paintings, most of which we did together this summer. Hope you can drop in to see it!

Enjoy!

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Wednesday

Painting in the Purcells -by Sharon Lynn Williams




"Mt. Sir Donald", 12 x 12" plein air oil
SOLD

This summer Dave and I splurged and took a hellicopter trip into the Purcell Mountain Lodge, just outside of Golden BC. I say splurged because the lodge is a 5 star resort in all manner of ways. The food was magnificent and plentiful, the accomodations luxurious (complete with hot showers and a sauna -unheard of in our usual back country trips) and the views were to die for. There were knowledgeable guides to take hikers far and wide, but for me, the best part was that BC painter Charlie Easton was doing an artist residency there at the same time, so I had someone super to paint with. Because of Charlie, I was allowed to go off and paint to my hearts content, with a radio in case I spotted the resident grizzly bear.

This first painting is my favorite from the trip. It features the famous peak of Mt Sir Donald, the tallest peak in the Purcells. While we were there we were treated to an avalanche spotting coming off the top -no where close to where we were. There is a huge valley just past the trees in the painting (the lodge sits on a plateau), but it makes the view look like the mountains are just coming out of nowhere.

"High Alpine Evening", 9 x 12" plein air oil
$495.00 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

I painted this on our first evening at the lodge. I just loved how the colours just popped in the low angled light.

"The Burn", 9 x 12" plein air oil
SOLD

One of our hikes let to this beautiful area that is recovering from a forest fire. I thought the twisted branches of the dead trees played with the silhouettes of the range behind, the burned evergreens that didn't drop their now red needles and the everpresent Fireweed which pops up after such an event.

"Changing Weather", 9 x 12" plein air oil
$200 unframed
click here to purchase

Our third day was rainy, but I was able to paint this from the deck of the lodge as the clouds were breaking up and the sun was returning.

"Wonder Falls", 12 x 12" plein air oil
$575.00 beautifully framed
click here to purchase

On our last day at the lodge, my hubby joined me for a big hike/paint session. Can you see the tiny line of white at the bottom of the previous painting? That is this waterfall, so you can tell how far a walk it was. What you can't tell is that you have to hike 300m down to the valley floor and 300m up the side of the next mountain to get here (and back again of course!) I was thankful for a chance to rest paint here.The colours of the rock and the moss were electric.

This was a very expensive holiday, but I think it was totally worth every penny.

Enjoy!


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Tuesday

New Acrylic Explorations by Sharon Lynn Williams



"Nest", 8x10" acrylic on clayboard
SOLD

In April I was thrilled to study with Linda Kemp, a wonderful artist from Ontario. She is a very accomplished artist who's primary medium is watercolour (she's the master of negative painting!) and now is working in acrylic in a similar way, but with the addition on opaque paint. I have never used Ampersand's clayboard before and found it an interesting but expensive surface.

"Koi Pond", 15 x 15" acrylic on canvas mounted on 16x16" gallery wrap canvas
$625
Please click here to purchase

This one is built out of many, many layers of opaque and transparent paint. I like the movement in it as well as the irridescent glaze on the underwater fish.

"Leaf Patterns", 14 x 14" acrylic on gallery wrap canvas
SOLD

Another one with multiple layers and glazing, this time on a canvas that I had textured with varying thickness and splatters of gesso, in order to add some surface interest to the painting. I really enjoyed the play of transparent with the opaque areas and the depth that this technique brings.

"Summer Evening", 14 x 14" acrylic on gallery wrap canvas
$595, painted around edges so no frame required
Please click here to purchase

This is the last painting of this series. After making a very involved and visually textured surface, I began to see some tree shapes in the washes. I went with that idea and painted the sky and water, leaving the trees. Got to love negative painting, especially when it turns out so positively great!!

Enjoy!
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Wednesday

Bow Lake Artist Residency plein air paintings by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Surveying Paradise", 12x16" plein air oil on Arches oil paper mounted on board
$695 Beautifully FRAMED
Please click here to purchase

I am way behind in posting so I thought I would put all the paintings together that I did while at an Artists Residency at Numtijah Lodge at Bow Lake. Bow Lake is a truly magical place and the lodge has quite a lovely ambiance. I shared this residency with my plein air painting buddy, the talented Patti Dyment -check out her lovely work!!

"Fireweed at Bow Lake", 12 x 12" plein air oil on board
$575 Beautifully FRAMED
Please click here to purchase

The fireweed really put on a show this year and made a lovely forground for Crowfoot Glacier.

"Threatening Rain", 9x12" plein air oil on board
$495 Beautifully FRAMED
Please click here to purchase

We took a short drive from Bow Lake one evening and caught the late sun on some peaks. It was threatening rain, as it did all weekend, but it seems we were blessed as it was raining all around us, but never on us!

"Back Country", 12x9" plein air oil on multimedia artboard mounted on panel
$495 Beautifully FRAMED
Please click here to purchase

This was my last painting for the residency. The sky was overcast and sprinkles came and went. This is not really in the 'back country' as it is at the side of the lake, but the title seemed appropriate. So many wonderful jewels in the Canadian Rockies for hikers to come upon.

Enjoy!
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Friday

"Lily Pond -Le Vieux Couvent", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Lily Pond -Le Vieux Couvent", 12 x 12" oil on mounted Arches oil paper
$575 beautifully framed

This is the last painting I did at the cottage this summer from my photos of France. The lily pond was so full of colour and joy. I hope you can feel the excitement!
Or maybe that is just me being excited because tomorrow my eldest son is getting married to a super wonderful woman, so I am getting a new daughter!! After the wedding we are taking all of her Japanese family to Canmore and Banff for a little sightseeing, and then on Tuesday I am off for 4 days of plein air painting at gorgeous Lake O'Hara -one of the prettiest places to paint in the Rockies, and a personal favorite.
Stay tuned for paintings from the Purcell mountains, Bow Lake, Mount Assiniboine and Lake O'Hara.
Enjoy!
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Saturday

"Need A Ride?" oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Need A Ride?", 12 x 12" studio oil painting on gessoed Arches oil paper
$300 unframed (please note: Price only in effect until painting is framed)
Please click here to purchase

Dreama recently published her take on this scene that we shared at the lavender farm, but honestly I had done this before I saw hers! Good thing too, as I might have been swayed to make mine more like hers :) I think we were all struck by the beauty of this, so it wouldn't surprise me to see it painted by everyone on the trip!
Enjoy!
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Sunday

"Sunflowers -French Light" oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Sunflowers -French Light", 12 x 12" oil on Arches oil paper
SOLD

Another painting I did from a photo I took in France. I bought these beauties as my contribution to our picnic lunch one day. They were amongst a riot of bouquets at the market, and I just knew that the others would be bringing food. The vase was an antique white with blue flowers, but the bounced light was amazing.

Enjoy!
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Thursday

"God's Palette", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"God's Palette", 12 x 12" oil painting on Arches oil paper
SOLD

This is a 'studio' painting that I did while at our cottage in Ontario this July. We get the most amazing sunsets there, a wonderful ending to beautiful sun filled days.

I thought I should comment on the supports I have been painting on while travelling. I have 2 that I love: one is Multimedia Artboard and the other is Arches Oil Paper. I gesso both of them as I find them too absorbant on their own. The Artboard is brittle, it as it is easy to crack off a corner if you aren't careful. I tape both of the supports to a hardboard of the same size. If the painting works out, then I mount them onto sealed hardboard with soft gel medium and weight them with books until dry. Perfectly archival, they are wonderfully light supports for travel when weight is an issue. Plus the cost is way lower than any other support, so there is no pressure to creative expression.

Enjoy!
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Saturday

"Just Around The Corner", French plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Just Around The Corner", 12x12" plein air oil
$300 unframed (Please note: listed price is only good until the painting is mounted and framed
Please click here to purchase

This is the final painting that I did inFrance. As the title implies, it was the first spot we saw as we left Castres on a circle tour that took us through the hilly countryside. I am not sure what kind of trees are in the back of the foreground, but they were very different from the trees on the distant hillside. They were the colour of olive trees, but a different shape -maybe a Russian Olive??

I really enjoyed painting in France, but am glad to be home now to the familiar. I have some paintings to post that I did at the cottage in Ontario and from my artist in residency at Bow Lake, but those will have to wait until I am home for a bit. We just came back from a 5 day trip to Purcell Mountain Lodge where I was able to do 5 plein air paintings, and tomorrow we are off to helicopter in to Mt. Assiniboine for 4 days of painting. Unfortunately the forecast is for rain for most of our stay, but I am praying that that will change!

Enjoy!

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Friday

"Ferrieres,France", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams



"Ferrieres,France", 12 x 12" plein air oil painting on panel
SOLD

Brenda and I found an amazing place to stay between Albi and Carcassone, places we were hoping to visit, called Castres. I chose it because of its location, but when we drove in we were amazed. Apparently it is called the Venice of the Tarn, because the Agout river runs right through the middle of town, and beautiful bridges have been placed, so that it looks quite like a street in Venice. Our wonderful little hotel was right on the canal, and everything was within walking distance.
One day we decided to do a road trip in the area and came upon this wonderful little hamlet called Vabre in Ferrieres, and I was enchanted by the view. The little creek was there, but the bridge was not, it was in a cute little town near Frayssinet, so I decided to include it here to replace a rather unpleasant grading -Ah the benefits of being an artist!!
Enjoy!
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Thursday

"Frayssinet", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Frayssinet", 12 x 12 plein air oil painting
$300 unframed (Please note: listed price is only good until the painting is mounted and framed
Click here to purchase

This is the last plein air painting I did while in Fraysinnet during the Dreama Tolle Perry artist retreat. This house was just a few blocks away from Le Vieux Couvent where the workshop was held. I was attracted to the light and what it did to the amazing rose bushes growing against the building.
It was sad to leave everyone at the end, but I knew that there were more adventures in France ahead. Many of us are still keeping in touch, which is really nice. I came away with a TON of photos to try in my studio this winter. I don't know if I will ever give up plein air painting, but I hope to learn to do as good a job in the studio. This will also allow me to work larger, which has been a goal for many years.
Enjoy!
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Tuesday

"Across The Valley -Frayssinet", plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams



"Across The Valley-Frayssinet", 9x12" plein air oil on multimedia artboard
SOLD

On my recent France workshop with the wonderful Dreama Tolle Perry, we spent a lot of days touring tiny medevil villages getting reference material to use in the studio. However, on our first day to stay home at Le Vieux Couvent, a bunch of us went out in search of a wonderful place to paint en plein air. We came across this view and it was unanimous -we HAD to paint this! I was able to use Dreama's technique of a wet underpainting, and found it went surprisingly well.

Enjoy!
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Friday

"French Countryside" plein air oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams



"French Countryside", 12 x 12" plein air oil
$575 beautifully framed

After Dreama's workshop was finished, Brenda Pinnick and I rented a car and headed out west of Toulouse for a plein air adventure. It wasn't very long until we came upon this spot and had to stop to paint! The light is wonderful in France and I was just hoping to capture it and the wonderful colour of these fields. When we were finished and wondering our paintings were truly done, Brenda challenged me with "What is the most outrageous thing you could do?" I threw in the screaming yellow green in the mid ground, and she was right -it was just what the painting needed. I will have to remember that one :)

Enjoy!

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Sunday

"Posies" oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Posies", 7 x7" oil on Arches oil paper, mounted on board
$100 unframed

I did this sweet little painting from a bouquet that Barbara (one of my fellow Dreama workshop students) set up in the studio. Itwas one of those rare paintings that just come together without a lot of fuss, thereby keeping it clean and not overworked. Wish they were all like that!

Enjoy!


Friday

"Waiting for Dinner", oil painting by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Waiting For Dinner", 12 x 12" oil on gesso end Arches oil paper
$300 unframed 

I painted this from a photo in the studio at Le Vieux Couvent in France. I must say right now that I am not very good at painting from photos, but much prefer to paint from life. But I figure that living where I do, I had better figure it out! I have SO many fabulous photos that I have never painted from, because of this hindrance. That is one of the reasons I decided to come to France with Dreama. She works exclusively from photos, except for her watercolour journaling, which is done from life. I was hoping to pick up a few tricks, but I have concluded that, as in everything, practice makes perfect ( or at least as close as I can get to it!) I really struggled with the colour balance in the making of this painting, but after many changes and iterations, I think I can call it finished. I really should try it again from scratch you know....

Enjoy!

Sunday

"Le Pigeonnier", plein air oil by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Le Pigeonnier"' 9 x 12" plein air oil done in Frayssinet, France June 27,2014
$250 unframed 

I was delighted to get some time to go exploring with my oils during my workshop with Dreama. This was done on the most perfect of days, after the extreme heat and humidity had been rained off in a tremendous storm the night before. This little silo is actually not a grain silo at all. I was told that back in Medieval times, pigeons were raised for food, and these buildings, which dot the Provence countryside, were created to entice the pigeons to roost there. It sounds funny now, as the last thing most people these days is to encourage pigeons to roost on their property!



Everywhere you look at Le Vieux Couvent, you will find treasures -either provided by nature or by the loving hands of our host Corinne. 


This is our studio space which is assessible 24/7, but not used much by me (except for attending Dreama's amazing demos) as I was far too bushed to paint much after an incredible multi-course dinner, which didn't end until 9:30pm. If it was nice outside, that's where you'd find me.

We have our huge goodbye party/feast/show & tell tonight, and then we leave first thing in the morning. I will be sad to leave this little slice of heaven, but the next journey awaits!

Au Revoir and as always, Enjoy!

Tuesday

Painting France With Dreama, by Sharon Lynn Williams


"Breakfast Light", 9 x 12" plein air oil in Arches Huile Paper
$250 unframed 

This is my first oil painting from France. I am here with 17 other wonderful blissful women, doing our thing in the south west of France. We are staying at Le Vieux Couvent in the Lot Valley, with the fabulous Dreama Tolle Perry (if you don't know her work you definitely should check out her website). We have been to a different tiny medieval village each day, doing watercolour sketching and taking way too many photos. The highlight of today was our visit to a lavender farm followed by an amazing chocolate eclair from the boulangerie. I will try to post some of my sketches in the days to come, but the internet is extremely slow here, I can't promise anything.
In the meantime, enjoy!

Sunday

"Peaceful Imaginings", acrylic painting by Sharon Lynn Williams

"Peaceful Imaginings", 14x14" acrylic 
SOLD

I have been sitting at Art & Soul Gallery for the past 3 days, and I did this painting  between visits with people. It is done on a piece of canvas that I textured with gesso to give the surface a bit of life. I have to admit that I made the whole thing up, hence the title. Fun to let the imagination have full reign over the possibilities!

Enjoy!

Tuesday

Sometimes it takes a long time!!!

"Tree Patterns", 15 x15" acrylic on illustration board
SOLD -finally!!

This is a painting that I did in 2009, and it just sold in my Edmonton show. Sometimes it goes like that -you pull out an old piece that you haven't yet destroyed because you felt it had some merit, put it in a show, and finally the owner finds it there.  I have heard it said that there is an owner for every painting, and it just takes time for the two of them to find each other. Perhaps this used to be true, but I think there are so many painters showing their work out there, that there are far more paintings than buyers these days.

I have a hard time keeping old unsold work after it has been on the rounds of every show I can think of. I destroy some,  but those I really like I either unframe and try to sell them at a lower price, or offer them framed as donations to worthwhile causes. But some I just can't bear to part with, especially if I have had a frame made specifically for the painting, as in this case.

This painting is done on a textured gesso surface, and then fluid acrylics are washed on the surface to see where the magic happens. It also has washes of dilute Irridescent Copper in palaces -I love the way it separates into green and gold in a wash.

Looking at it again, I still like it, and am now especially glad I didn't toss it : )

Enjoy!
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Thursday

Pen & Ink & Watercolour Sketch by Sharon Lynn Williams


Sketch done at Smith Rock in SW Oregon, 4x6"

I only had a chance to do one sketch so far on this trip. We found this location in a Discover Oregon book, and good thing too, we would have passed it by as it didn't look like much from the road. People come from all around the world to scale these huge vertical cliffs.
If you like the idea of making quick travel sketches for your memoirs or to get info for later paintings, why don't you join me for my upcoming Plein Air Quick Sketching Workshop on June 8. All the info and registration cart is on my website at www.sharonlynnwilliams.com under the workshops tab.
Hope to see you there!
Enjoy 😄

"A Firm Foundation" mixed media collage by Sharon Lynn Williams


"A Firm Foundation", collage (hand painted papers) and acrylic paint
15x15", $490 framed in gold frame with 2" white border
click here to purchase

This is my latest collage painting. I just love the colour scheme of blue-green and yellow-orange! I made all the papers at the recent collage workshop I taught. It is fun to find all sorts of patterns to play with, although many will need to be calmed down with paint glazing in opaques and semi-opaques.

Enjoy!

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Wednesday

"From Fall To Winter", mixed media collage by Sharon Lynn Williams

"From Fall To Winter", 12 x 12" collage and acrylic paint
$475 framed, click here to purchase (this painting is currently in the Leighton Art Centre's Annual Members show -check it out!)

I am so far behind in posting my paintings, so am just picking and choosing what to post from my winter's production. While I love to paint in oil on location in the warm weather months, that is a relatively short period of time here in Calgary. I don't really enjoy paintng from photos in oil -it seems too easy to get caught up in all the 'stuff' that is in the photo, and for me it is hard to really connect with the place just from the photo. Now sometimes I can do that if I have taken the photo recently or if it holds a special meaning for me, but usually it is just 'nice stuff'.

 From November to May I spend time in my studio just painting whatever inspires me at the moment, and that is when I unleash my creativity. Perhaps that is one reason I look forward to the length of winter here every year! My winter passions go more to the abstract, and I really enjoy mixed media collage, accrylics and now encaustic.

I was having a crisis this morning, thinking that I should probably just do ONE thing, as this is the path so many of my artist friends have taken. But my darling husband reminded me that I am not everyone else, so why should my path look like everyone elses'? Plus he knows me -he knows I would get very bored only doing one thing, and it would make me miserable. I am in the blessed and enviable position that I don't need to rely on income from painting sales to eat. Which is VERY good!! This allows me the freedom to follow my muse, exploring everything about art making. It also helps me be a good teacher as I know how to use most mediums in most styles. I guess I should be happy being a 'jack of all trades', even if it means I am not a master in any. Que up the song "Don't worry, be happy".

I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue of focusing on one thing versus exploring the whole. I promise to respond to each comment.

Enjoy!
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