B.E.A.R. With Me…

Tags

abstract animal art, animal art, animal prints, animals, bear, bear art, bear market, bear painting, bears, colorful animals, grizzly, grizzly bear, stock market, wildlife

“Bear Stare”

Mixed Media Painting/Collage

Sharon Cummings

2014

I am neck deep into my busy season and my studio is filled with commissions.  I am also feverishly marketing my work!  Between all of the emails, phone calls and creating, little time is left for socializing and writing.  But in about a month, a huge sigh of relief will escape my creative mouth…..so BEAR with me….

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It Never Rains In California…

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anaheim, bakersfield, bears, bruins, cali, california, california map, cardinal, chargers, chula vista, counties, fontana, freemont, fresno, glendale, hollywood, irvine, los angeles, map, maps, modesto, moreno valley, oakland, oceanside, oxnard, raiders, riverside, sacramento, san bernadino, san diego, san francisco, san francisco 49ers, san jose, santa ana, state, state maps, stockton, trojans, united states maps

Seems it never rains in southern California….Seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before….It never rains in California…

I grew up with the words of this Albert Hammond song and thought it must be really dry in that state!  Apparently it is right now as there is a drought!  But that is not my experience.  It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I got to visit this great place.  And it was anything but dry.  Lush vibrant landscapes and gentle breezes coming off of the ocean are what is in my memory banks.  I stayed in San Diego for a week and it was heavenly. The food was fabulous and the great places to walk and bike ride were perfection.  I’d like to go back and see some other cities.  The last trip was paid for by a foundation that awarded my husband for his first book.  I need to get him winning awards again!

On The Rocks…

Tags

adorable, beach, bear, bears, break, children�s toy, collectible, collection, compassion, cute, furry, generosity, giving, gratitude, high tide, kid, kids, ocean, plush, rock, rocks, sea, soft, stuffed animal, Stuffed toy, sweet, teddie, teddie bear, teddy, Teddy bear, teddybear, tide, tides, toy, Toys, wave, waves, whimsical

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/on-the-rocks-teddy-bear-art-by-william-patrick-and-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

This time of year when I am busy working like one of Santa’s elves and hustling about trying to get my Holiday shopping done, it is easy to forget that so many people in our world, country, state, city and neighborhood will not be having a “merry” Christmas.  For many just getting to their next meal is a blessing.  However, every year the Universe sends me a reminder to be giving.  To show compassion and love.  There is always a homeless person I encounter each year whose eyes speak to me in a way I cannot adequately explain.  I almost feel as if it is God looking back at me saying, “I have given so much to you, will you give something back?”  I always give large bills even though they are asking only for spare change.  I also make a point to touch them by gently squeezing their hands and making eye contact.  I speak to them.  There is something so humbling in seeing their eyes light up and the sheer gratitude they exude. Some say….”oh they will just go and buy booze with that money.”  That may be true, but one thing I am very certain about is that God did not place me on this earth to judge others and to determine my generosity based on what the recipient might or might not do with my compassion.  I am simply called to be so…..

Playing With Toys…

Tags

adorable, beach, bear, bears, break, children�s toy, Christmas, christmas gift ideas, christmas gifts, collectible, collection, cute, furry, gift, gifts, Hanukkah, hanukkah gift ideas, Hanukkah gifts, high tide, holiday gifts, kid, kids, ocean, plush, rock, rocks, sea, soft, stuffed animal, Stuffed toy, sweet, teddie, teddie bear, teddy, Teddy bear, teddybear, tide, tides, toy, Toys, wave, waves, whimsical

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/beach-bum-teddy-bear-art-by-william-patrick-and-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

Why do we outgrow toys?  I remember fondly my stuffed animal collection from my childhood.  I had over 100!  Each one had a name and a special order on my bed.  They had to go in the right order.  O.k….I have OCD, but I do treasure the comfort I got from hugging them tightly when I was down.  There was a delight in the feel of soft fur under my hands.  And sometimes they were a friendly face to talk to when I had secrets to share.  My daughter is 17 but she still loves her fake fur babies.  She squealed with delight when I brought her a soft stuffed alpaca from a recent trip!  I hope she never loses this love for them.  There is no need….and you can recall those memories with these images if the real deal seams a little not so grown up. 😉

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/on-the-rocks-teddy-bear-art-by-william-patrick-and-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/these-are-for-you-cute-teddy-bear-art-by-william-patrick-and-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

My husband, William Patrick, and I play with toys and photography together….seems we have not outgrown them after all!

 

Collaborations

Tags

alice in wonderland, art, art collaboration, Artist, beach, bears, butterflies, butterfly, collaboration, collage, collage art, collage work, creating, creativity, mixed media, mixed media art, muse, ocean, Paint, painting, photography, photos, pretty art, sea, sharon cummings, tampa, tampa artist, Teddy bear, teddy bears, the mad hatter, women, women's issues

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/on-the-rocks-teddy-bear-art-by-william-patrick-and-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

Do any of you other artists ever collaborate?  Work on photography together?  Paintings?  Music?  I tend to be a loner when it comes to my work, but I have had some really great opportunities to work with some amazing artists from around the World on pieces of art that really challenged me but ultimately brought me great satisfaction.  

The piece above is a joint effort between me and my husband William Patrick.  We headed to the beach with his box of toys and I handled all of the choreography and staging while he snapped the shots.  I also handled the post processing.

 http://fineartamerica.com/featured/down-the-rabbit-hole-sharon-cummings.html

Down the Rabbit Hole was a very interesting project that I shared with a Canadian artist named Geraldine Gracia.  What we did was each sent each other a package filled with all sorts of bits and pieces of things we collected.  The rule was we had to use EVERYTHING in the package in a mixed media piece.  We could add to it, but we could not subtract.  It really got my imagination going and the end result was a surprise to me.  I to this day continue to sell this piece regularly…so glad it speaks to so many.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/balancing-act-sharon-cummings.html

Balancing Act was another collaboration piece.  I have done these many times with other artist and it is always fun to see what we create!

 

Beer and Bears….

Tags

art, bar, bears, beer, Beverage, chocolate, clowns, coffee, coffee shop, Collecting, funny, happy, happy hour, home brewing, photographer, photographs, photography, Recreation, Shopping, sock monkey, story telling, Stuffed toy, Teddy bear, teddy bears, Toys, United States, whimsical, wine, wine advocate, wine bar

I’ve always loved art and photography that combines contradicting images into a believable finished product. I also love work that “tells a story”. I discovered this great photographer and creator named William Patrick recently. William’s photography work combines imagery for the child and adult in all of us. Some photos tell a sad story….some make you laugh. And some you can totally relate to (i.e. Allegory Of The Coffee Drinker). You will find teddy bears, clowns, angels, sock monkeys and more involved in a variety of activities. Wine, Beer, Vodka, Espresso, Coffee….all of the food groups!  Oh and chocolate! He does heavenly things with chocolate. 🙂 Enjoy more of his work here:  http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/william-patrick.html