23 Friday Jul 2021
Posted in Art, Love, Spirituality
Tags
abstract art, botanical, Colorful Art, floral, floral art, floral prints, flower, flower art, flower petals, flower prints, flowers, love, love art, love gifts, love prints, lovers, modern art, romance, romantic, romantic art, sharon cummings, sharon cummings art
Whether it’s a lover, a friend or a family member, we need each other. Embrace the love!
08 Thursday Apr 2021
Posted in Abstract Art, Art
12 Wednesday Feb 2020
Posted in Art, Uncategorized
Tags
art, botanical, bright colors, Colorful Art, floral, flower, flowers, garden, gardener, gardening, inspiration, life, pretty art, sharon cummings, wild, wild flowers
In flowers that is….Still intoxicated with mandala madness. 🙂
06 Tuesday May 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
botanical, common weeds, eco, flower, garden, gardening, lavender, macro, macro photo, macro photography, natural, nature, painting, petal, petals, plant, plants, purple, sharon cummings, spring, summer, weeds, wild, wildflower, wildflowers
I went outside today to see if there were any flowers left blooming. In Florida we have a short Winter and then a handful of nice Spring days with bursts of color everywhere. The azaleas…….the bromeliads……and then it all dies………….9 months of HEAT. Not much grows in Summer except the grass and weeds. All of my irises are brown and crispy looking. The lilies look like beef jerky. But this little group of tiny dancers was still celebrating, so I snapped them quickly before the sun was full in the sky.
I will be in my studio painting now for a good long while……..expect some new acrylic work very soon!
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30 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
arrangement, art, bathroom, beautiful, bedroom, botanical, botanical art, botanical painting, botanical prints, bud, buds, cottage, cottage art, country, country cottage, elegance, elegant, feminine, floral, floral arrangement, flower, flower buds, flowers, garden, gardening, happiness, happy, health, health benefits, healthy living, kitchen, ladies slippers, lady slipper, orchid, orchids, phaphiopedilum, photo, photograph, photography, rich, sharon cummings, smile, smiling, soft, table, traditional, vase, vases, yellow orchid
It’s so simple. Just smile. Even if you have to look at cute videos on YouTub of babies laughing or puppies sleeping, it’s a great way to improve your health and it makes you feel good about yourself. Below are some of the rewards of lifting those cheeks:
1. It Lower Heart Rate – Smiling slows the heart and relaxes the body. People who smile and laugh often are less likely to develop heart disease. Smiling reduces blood pressure temporarily too.
2. It Reduce Stress – Stress relief may be as simple as smiling a little more throughout the day. Smiling releases endorphins that counteract and diminish the stress hormones.
3. It Increase Productivity – Smiling has been shown to increase productivity while performing tasks. There’s truth to the “whistle while we work” mentality. This also explains why silly internet memes and pictures of cute animals can actually get people motivated and working harder after a few moments of smiling or laughter.
4. It is a natural Pain Killer – Smiling and laughter both have been shown to lessen pain. They release endorphins that lift our moods, but many of these act as natural painkillers too.
5. It Increase Attention – Stress limits our perceptions and narrows our attention. Our body kicks into fight or flight mode where we can focus only on one of those things. Smiling counteracts this and widens our attention again, opening us back up to multitasking and insights that come from the fringes of our perception and our subconscious.
6. It is Contagious – Around 50% of people smile back. This spreads the health benefits throughout those around you and it comes back to you several times as well.
7. It makes you more Attractive! – Smiling makes people look more appealing. This seems to be especially true for women. Men are more likely to approach a woman who smiles than one who simply makes eye contact while women aren’t necessarily drawn in by a smile alone.
8. It makes You Look Younger – Smiles naturally lift the face and in studies have shown to make people look younger, around 3 years younger on average.
9. It increases Longevity – The effects of a good smile extend past just the exterior good looks. People who smile more often live longer too, around 7 years longer than most according to one study. It releases stress, helps the heart, and much more to keep you healthy longer.
10. It Boosts the Immune System – Smiles help the body relax and this lets the immune system react more quickly and effectively against invaders.
So C’mon…………………………………………………..S.M.I.L.E. 🙂
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29 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
aging, anxiety, art, bathroom, bedroom, botanical, botanical prints, bug, bugs, butterflies, butterfly, butterfly garden, butterfly wings, buy, career, change, ecology, face lifts, Family, feminine, for her, for sale, fun, garden, gardens, gift, gifts, growth, happy, healing, insect, insects, joy, joyful, letting go, living room, marriage, mixed media, mom, mother, mother's day, online, paintings, pentas, personal growth, powder room, prints, season, seasons, sharon cummings, skin, spring, summer, uncertainty, wing, wings
Are you trying to hold on to your youth? Your children? A dysfunctional family? A job that isn’t right for you? A marriage that doesn’t work? That D you got in trigonometry in high school?
So many of us cling tightly to what is familiar or comfortable. Others bind themselves to the past and allow it to punish them for their entire lives. Change is scary. Some just cannot picture a life different than the one they currently have. I have learned that the harder you grasp something, the more it hurts when it slips away from you. The secret to life is “letting go”. Also known as acceptance. This has nothing to do with giving up and everything to do with knowing when it is time to move on.
I had a few years of uncertainty and fear as I moved into middle age. I was panicked at the thought of my little girl out in the big mean World all by herself. My marriage had a major hiccup one Summer and I was not sure we would make it. I noticed that I was starting to lose the interest of men when I walked into a room. My body and face were aging and I did not know how to handle it. I was also very confused about what I wanted to do with my business. I considered shutting it down and taking a different path by getting back into Holistic Medicine. I call those years “the worry years”.
Slowly I started to realize that I could not hold onto all of those things that I wanted to remain the same. More importantly, I did not want to. I discovered it was safe to let go and just celebrate where I was headed. I was not only physically different, I was also mentally and emotionally transformed. At 45 I am now excited to watch my daughter leave for college and blossom into her own life. I will not be keeping her bedroom as a shrine where I can focus on the past. Instead it will be converted into a sanctuary for yoga and thinking. She will be welcome to visit anytime, but I will use that space for mediation. I have learned to work “with” my partner instead of “against” him as we weather life’s bumps. I am less selfish. I have also decided that I will not be artificially preserving my youthful face. It’s gone and no amount of face lifting, injecting or sand blasting is going to bring it back. It’s o.k. to have wrinkles and fine lines. In fact, if you allow yourself to let go of what society dictates is beautiful, you can actually admire them for what they really are: signs of a life that has endured numerous storms and celebrated many triumphs.
As for my career that is still being pondered. I have a few new ideas about what direction I would like to move in. But whatever I decide, the process leading up to it will not be fraught with anxiety. No, these are truly “the wonder years” for me. The dictionary tells us that “wonder” means: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. And that is exactly where I am. Bring it on life!
26 Saturday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
botanical, common weeds, eco, flower, garden, gardening, macro, macro photo, macro photography, natural, nature, orange, pale yellow, petal, petals, plant, plants, sharon cummings, soft, weeds, wild, wildflower, wildflowers, yellow
I like to walk around with my camera just seeing what I can find. I love old buildings and garbage piles because often the most interesting photos are there. These beauties were growing proud all along an abandoned restaurant. They were not in neat little rows, but wild and rangy. They were large flowers, so I do not think they are weeds.
Do you know what type of flowers these are?
25 Friday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
art career, asian, asian theme, botanical, botanical art, botanical photos, botanical prints, career success, Family, floral, flower, flower art, flower photography, flower photos, flowers, happiness, koi pond, lily pads, lotus, lotus flower, love, meditation, mom, mother's day, mothering, pond, relationships, sharon cummings, spring, success, successful art business, successful career, yellow flower, yoga, zen
What makes a person successful in this life? Is it dying with a big ol’ pile of money? Is it having the most friends? Is it the big house and fancy car? Is it being recognized by others for your achievements? Is it being pretty and well liked? Is it bagging a perfect spouse? Getting that kid into Harvard?
Over the years I have dramatically redefined my perspective on personal success. Everyone has their own criteria, but for me it has nothing to do with any of the above. I have come to realize that true success has little to do with worldly achievements and everything to do with the inner peace that comes from not needing them.
Am I a successful artist? Absolutely. I am not getting rich off of my creativity, but I am earning a living. If my spouse died, I could support myself entirely on my income. I only have to work a few days a week now thanks to years of time investment. I make money while I sleep and on the days I do not work too. In my own mind, that is success. I ignored those that said I couldn’t do it and I worked hard to achieve my goals.
Am I a successful Mom? You bet. I turned away from my abusive upbringing and defied the odds. I did not perpetuate the abuse and I’ve helped my autistic daughter find her own voice. I have supported her every step of the way and encouraged her to love herself just the way she is. I did not teach hate or prejudice and as a result she has friends of all races, religions and sexual orientations. She is now enrolled in college and doing all of the things normal folks do. She didn’t go for an Ivy League school, but one that fit her goals. She didn’t win a bunch of awards or get a perfect SAT score. But she is happy. To me this is one of my greatest achievements and I feel pretty successful as a parent.
Lastly, am I successful overall? The are so many ways to achieve success: Relationships, Job, Health, Family, Hobbies, Fitness, etc. The simple answer for me is: Yes. The detailed answer would be far too long to expect the average blog reader to get through. I am at a point in my life that I no longer concern myself with how others view me. I am satisfied and happy with who I am and all I’ve done. In the end, that is all that matters. So, yes, I am truly successful.
Do you see yourself as a success?
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18 Friday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
bold, botanical, botanical art, botanical photos, botanical prints, clock vine, clock vine flowers, colorful, floral, floral photography, florida, florida botanical gardens, flower, flowers, garden, gardening, gardens, lavender, macro, macro photography, natural, nature, olive flower, periwinkle, photo, photograph, photography, pinellas county, plants, pretty, purple, sharon cummings, spring, spring flowers, spring time, springtime, vibrant, vine, vines, wild flowers, wildflowers
Yesterday me and the hubby went on a little field trip. We found our way to the Florida Botanical Gardens in Pinellas County. Somehow in all of these years in Tampa, this gem has been hidden from me. We frequently drive down to Sarasota to enjoy the Selby Gardend, but this place was also amazing! So many flowers all out in the open to see and smell. The winding paths lead to many beautiful surprises. Plus there is a little heritage village with old houses and buildings that were to be destroyed, but were saved and moved here. What a treat!
It is a macro lens photographer’s delight. 🙂
14 Monday Apr 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
art, art buyer, botanical, building, business, cacti, cactus, canvas, colorful, construction, contractor, corporate, decorating, decorative, desert, echeveria, floral, framed, garden, gardener, gardening, gift, homes, horticulture, hotel, house, houses, interior design, interior designer, jade plant, landscaping, model home, motel, office, paintings, photo, photographs, photography, plant, plants, prints, retreat, sharon cummings, southwest, southwestern art, spa, succulent, succulent garden, succulent plants, succulents, wall art, wall decor
The word “succulent” sounds titillating. You can almost “feel” what it means as it rolls off of your tongue. Say it right now. Slowly…
O.k. maybe I just wanted to use the words “succulent and “titillating” in the same sentence. 😉 But these beauties grow all over the place in Florida. They seem to be just as happy in our tropical swamp as they are in the dry air of the desert. But with thousands of varieties available, they do have varying care requirements. So if you want to grow some of these beauties inside or out, read the labels on the plants before buying. They do love bright sunlight, but they can get sunburned. I have seen a few wither and die myself.
I love the smooth feel they have and the variety of colors they come in. I’ve taken artistic liberty with this one obviously. I was intrigued by the interesting shapes and shadows in this plant. Nature is my inspiration!
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