Can You B.E.L.I.E.V.E. It?

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abstract art, art, Colorful Art, cool art, inspirational art, joy, modern art, mosaic art, mosaics, pastels, reclaimed art, tree, tree of life

It’s “reclaimed” art!

The image you see below was created entirely from previous works! I’ve always been intrigued by the concept of “reclaimed art”, but there are certainly no rules to follow. Who says you have to trudge through garbage dumps or abandoned junk yards?  It doesn’t have to be wood or metal.  One of my favorite things to do is to go exploring through files of past works until a new idea emerges. It’s like a cool puzzle where I am putting together pieces of the past to form the present.  It is an “Absolute Joy”!

“Absolute Joy”

Mixed Media

Sharon Cummings

2015

The pieces below all went into creating this new art!

“Exuberance” by Sharon Cummings

“Skull Art Day Of The Dead 1” by Sharon Cummings

“Violet Blue” by Sharon Cummings

“Transformation” by Sharon Cummings

“Positive Energy 2 Mandala” by Sharon Cummings

“Abstract 1” from The Labor Of Love Series by Sharon Cummings

The Original S.E.L.F.I.E…

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art, artists, creating, drawings, Forgiveness, frida kahlo, Instagram, joy, paintings, self portrait, self portraits, selfie, selfies, suffering

Self Portrait

Mixed Media Art Painting Collage

Sharon Cummings

2014

Long before the Internet, cell phones and the modern day “selfie”, artists were hard at work creating self portraits.  It was a right of passage of sorts for some and for others it was just practical.  It wasn’t always easy to get models, nor could the average artist afford to pay.  So naturally, they turned to themselves.

Frida Kahlo is one famous example of an artist who mostly painted her own image. She is noted as saying:

“I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.”
― Frida Kahlo

I believe this is true for many artists.  We spend a lot of time in solitude working tirelessly to perfect our craft.  We curse to an empty studio when we are agonizing over a piece and we dance in delight to ourselves as audience when all goes well.  And yet, the “self portrait” has fallen from grace as an art form.  It has been replaced with quick snaps loaded to Instagram.

I have drawn myself in Egyptian headdress in the past.  One teacher challenged me to draw myself as an old woman.  And I have sculpted my body and face in clay.  Each is an exercise in self reflection that cannot be garnered from a quick snap of the cell phone.

Self portraiture is a challenge.  I’d love to see more artists take the plunge by using Photoshop, paint, clay, markers and anything else that requires time and thought.

It is like a forgiveness of sorts.  A raw honest look at life and your place in it.  An exercise of thankfullness to the Universe for the gifts that you have been given to create with. You do it for yourself…

Still D.R.E.A.M.I.N.G.?

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alone, alone time, belief, believe, believing, christian, colorful landscape, colorful tree, dream, dreamer, dreaming, encouragement, encouraging, fairy, fairy tales, fairytale, fairytales, faith, feelings, girl, hope, hopeful, inspiration, inspirational, joy, joyful, joyous, kids, kids room, landscape, life, little girl, moon, night, rooms, self reflection, sharon cummings, solitude, soul, spiritual, spirituality, swing, thinking, thoughtful, tire swing, tree, uplifting, women, wondering

“The Dreaming Tree”

Mixed Media Art

Sharon Cummings

2014

I’ve always had a special place to go to dream.  For most of my life, it’s been a special tree.  Everywhere I’ve lived, I had to find one.  I would either climb up into it’s branches or swing from a rope/tire.  Now, I just sit under it’s cooling shade and let myself go….

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The B.E.S.T. Compliment I’ve Ever Gotten…

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abstract art, art, art career, art school, Artist, artists portfolio, before Photoshop, career, colored pencils, dealing with criticism, dealing with haters, dealing with nasty people, drawings, friends, hand drawn art, happiness, ink, joy, making art, markers, old school, overcoming, pen, pen & ink drawings, pen and ink, portfolio, positive thinking, positivity, realism, realistic art, sharing, sharon cummings, vulnerability

When I decided to open up my 25 year old portfolios to the World, there was a sense of vulnerability that came with it.  I’ve been a professional artist for around 12 years now, so that leaves 13 years unaccounted for.  During that time, I worked on a Phd. in Holistic Nutrition and I was a personal trainer/nutritional consultant.  That is a long story, but here I am today making a living doing what I have always loved!

While I have greatly appreciated all of the positive feedback I have gotten from my fans, friends and collectors, it is a comment from a stranger that sticks out the most.  This person said that my pen and ink work is fake and Photoshop artistry.  This person meant to be mean and nasty, but what I realize now is that it is the BEST compliment I have ever received on my art in my entire life!  25 years ago there was no Photoshop.  In fact there was no computer artistry at all available to me.  Everything was done by hand.  Knowing that my work was as good then as Photoshop is today makes me feel more confident about sharing this older work with all of you. 🙂

While I could have taken the comment to heart in the way it was intended and closed up my portfolios for good, I’ve decided that this person will be a catalyst for me to share even more of myself.  So a big THANK YOU goes out to “Sylvia” for her negative comments.  You could have not have paid me a bigger compliment!

It’s old and frayed and the zipper is broken.

The one on the left contains originals and the one on the right are copies meant to show perspective employers.

Airbrushing, pen and ink, drawing and marker work are all represented here.

Billboard and magazine mock ups.

Markers were one of my favorite mediums to work with.  I loved the colors and detail I could get with them!

More pen and ink on cardboard with some watercolor work too.

I even did some screen printing work as seen on the left.  Pastels and markers are represented here.

More marker work and the strawberries are colored pencil.

And just for fun a few from childhood.  The dates say middle school.

***I’ve left these images FULL-SIZED.  Straight from my camera without any computer manipulation.  Quick shots early this morning before the sun was up.  So click on them and have a look.  And PLEASE when I list them…..Tell me they look as good as Photoshop! 😉

I Stone Rock’d A G.O.A.T!

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abstract art, animal mosaics, animal prints, animals, art, Artist, contemporary, cute animals, faabest, farm, farm animals, fun, funny animals, funny art, goat, goat art, goat paintings, goat prints, goats, happy, humor, joy, modern, mosaic, mosaic art, mosaic prints, mosaics, paintings, pink, pink art, prints, sharon cummings, zoo, zoo animals

I am always trying to think of new subject matter to Stone Rock….one of my signature art styles.  Lately I have been taking a second look at images and paintings that I have had up for a long time that have not received much attention.  And it is working.  I have sold pieces Stone Rock’d that never sold without it.  My latest transformation is here.  I have taken “Pinky” below and added my trademarked Stone Rock’d pattern for an interesting and “Pop Art” effect.  I had a pet goat as a child named Lulu Bell….she would be proud. 🙂

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See “Pinky” Stone Rock’d Here:

The Wonder Years….

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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!

P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S.

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abstract, acupuncture, art, artwork, block, blocks, chiropractic, contemporary, deep, depth, dream, dreaming, dreams, energetic, energy, enlightenment, hatha yoga, heal, healing, health, joy, life, light, meditate, meditation, modern, negative people, nirvana, optimist, paintings, pessimist, positive people, prints, red, sharon cummings, soft, spa, spiritual, spiritual art, spirituality, square, style, vibrant, vision, visionary, wall art, wall decor, wall hangings, yoga, zen

 

I bet you were surprised to see that as my title.  I am normally an upbeat energetic life loving artist.  I still am. But, I have problems just like everyone else.  I have health concerns, a teenager, animals in my care, a marriage, family struggles, financial worries sometimes and the list goes on.

I have learned by and large that there are two types of people on the Internet. Those who focus on all of life’s crap and negative things in the world.  And those that zero in on the good in people and the beauty of our world. Very few are in the middle.  I see the news.  I know about pain and suffering.  My life certainly has it’s share, but a long time ago, I decided that I wanted to be in the second camp.  The experts call this being an “optimist”.  I just call it self preservation.  I choose every single day to “live in the moment” and focus on positive energy.  This works for me and keeps me on a track that makes me happy on most days.  Not every day.  But most. I am satisfied with that. 🙂

If my artwork can take you away from your problems, even for a moment, that also brings me great joy!  And in that very life affirming feeling lies my purpose: to bring joy to the World.

 

 

 

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Achieving Zen…

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Spring is in full swing here in Florida and I have been one busy bee!  I have been painting lots of commission work and my print sales are at an all time high.  I just spent a few days with my daughter in Sarasota for her Spring break which was fun and relaxing.  But today it is back to work for me. We’ve been cleaning and doing some upgrades in our home.  I do not comprehend the concept of “light” cleaning. It’s always “deep” cleaning because once I see funk or dirt, I MUST clean it!  I cannot turn a blind eye.

How does this tie into “zen”?  The urban dictionary says:

One way to think of zen is this: a total state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen is a way of being. It also is a state of mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts. “Sun is warm, grass is green.”

I have been experiencing the “zen” of cleaning.  My focus is intense and both my mind and body are fully together in my tasks.  There are no illusions here. Dirt and dog hair have infiltrated every pore of my home. “The house was dirty, the house is cleanish.” 🙂

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Got Spring Fever?

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Spring has sprung in Florida!  The weather is absolutely perfect.  The azaleas are blooming in glorious hot pink beauty.  The grass is greening up.  Bees are buzzing.  My orchids are budding. And then there is the pollen.  Aaaaaachooo!!  Yup, I get allergies bad this time of the year and that sticky yellow stuff gets in my nose, eyes and lungs and I spend my time indoors or masked. If I venture outside I wear a hat (so it doesn’t get in my hair), a mask and glasses.  I shower before bed and keep my sheets as clean as possible.  It only lasts about a month or so like this, but it is a wait.  What to do?  Create of course!  I love the LOOK of Spring and decided to keep it positive with this fun and whimsical piece today.

This work is a mixed media piece combining some of my Labor of Love paintings with a stock background and graphic elements.  A real joy to put together. 🙂  Enjoy!

 

FOR A LIMITED TIME….Get this new piece for PEANUTS!!  SALE!!  Click the link below:

http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=138605

 

Her Heart Has Wings…

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http://fineartamerica.com/featured/her-heart-has-wings-spiritual-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

Her Heart Has Wings

Her heart has wings,

for more than flight.

They give her strength.

They give her sight.

Her heart has wings,

battered by the wind.

They do not break.

They help her bend.

Her heart has wings,

that can’t be tied.

And hopes and dreams.

That won’t be denied.

Her heart has wings,

for so much more.

Her body has limits.

But her spirit will soar…