Ahhhhh…..The Salt Life

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beach, feet, florida, fun, ocean, salt life, sarasota, siesta key, summer, summer vacation, toes, travel, trip, venice

I’ve got my toes in the sand.

Be back soon.

Ah.

When In Rome…

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amalfi coast, art, art prints, bologna, canals of venice, canvas, colorful maps, colosseum, countries, country, europe, european, florence, genoa, interior design, italia, italian, italian food, italian restaurant, italy, italy map, leaning tower of pisa, map, map of italy, maps, milan, naples, palermo, piazza del campo, pompeii, prints, rialto bridge, rome, santa maria del fiore, sharon cummings, st. mark's square, travel, turin, vacation, venice, verona, wall art, wall decor, wall maps

Do as the Romans do.  I always thought that meant something scintillating, but all it really means is: It is polite, and possibly also advantageous, to abide by the customs of a society when one is a visitor.  Oh well.

Today’s map study is the beautiful country of Italy!  When I think of this place, my first thoughts are always about food.  Italian plays a part in my heritage so I can tell you that there is nothing like a homemade pasta sauce with fresh herbs and spices.  There is an art to perfect marinara. It cooks slowly all day long.  The smells that fill the house are insanely taunting.  Turns out that I have Celiac disease and all of that pasta I grew up with was tormenting my insides.  5 years ago I switched to Gluten Free fare and get to still enjoy those delicious tastes!

Some fun facts about Italy:

*  Italy is approximately 116,400 square miles (including Sicily and Sardinia), which is slightly larger than Arizona.

*  Italy is one of the most crowded nations in Europe.^a Its population is estimated to reach 58,126,212 by July 2009. The population of United States is estimated to reach 307,212,123 by that same date.

*  Italy is said to have more masterpieces per square mile than any other country in the world.

*  In 2007, a dog named Rocco discovered a truffle in Tuscany that weighed 3.3 pounds. It sold at auction for $333,000 (USD), a world record for a truffle.

*  When McDonald’s opened in 1986 in Rome, food purists outside the restaurant gave away free spaghetti to remind people of their culinary heritage.

*  Parmesan cheese originated in the area around Parma, Italy. Italians also created many other cheeses, including gorgonzola, mozzarella, provolone, and ricotta. No one knows when the pizza was invented, but the people of Naples made it popular.

*Vatican City is the only nation in the world that can lock its own gates at night. It has its own phone company, radio, T.V. stations, money, and stamps. It even has its own army, the historic Swiss Guard.

*Over 50 million tourists a year visit Italy. Tourism is vital to Italy’s economy and provides nearly 63% of Italy’s national income.

What Makes You Happy?

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art, beach, beach house, beautiful, beauty, bradenton, california, canvas, clearwater, clothes, coast, coastal, dress, dresses, emotion, emotional, fashion, Fine Art, florida, florida keys, framed, girl, hawaii, hawaiian, heal, healing, health, key west, lady, marco island, meditation, memories, memory, miami, naples, nature, ocean, oceanfront, paintings, pensacola, pete, prints, red dress, sarasota, sea, sharon cummings, siesta key, solitude, st, st. petersburg, strolling, sunbathing, vacation, venice, walking, west palm, woman, yoga, zen

 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-red-dress-beach-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

I got a little note from the Universe today which read, “You simply cannot know, Sharon What will make others happy.  But you can always know for yourself.  Go for it….The Universe”  That’s my reminder.  I have been working really hard painting custom work for others and creating pieces for my show that I’ve neglected what makes me happiest.  Like the picture above, I need some time for myself walking along my own creative beach.  There is such a freedom in just letting the energy from your soul release itself onto whatever canvas you choose.  So I am off to do just that today. 🙂

Peek-A-Boo!

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art, bahamas, beach, beaches, bermuda, bradenton, breeze, buy, california, clearwater, costa rica, cuba, cuban, florida, for sale, hawaii, hawaiian, island, islands, jamaica, keys, marco island, maritime, miami, ocean, paintings, palm, palm fronds, palm tree, palm trees, palms, prints, puerto rico, sait thomas, sarasota, sea, sharon cummings, spirits, st. thomas, tampa, the florida keys, the islands, tree, trees, tropical, tropical palms, tropical trees, tropicana, venice, virgin islands

When I take photographs, I like to either find a story or have the piece ask a question. Palm trees are everywhere in Florida and there is no great mystery to them.  But this one was all alone and one of the tallest palms I have ever seen.  High into the clouds….what is happening below?  There could be lovers sitting and chatting.  A dog could be asleep.  A bike could be propped up against it’s trunk.  It could be right on the ocean or in a parking lot.  The vibrant blue sky reveals nothing.  What story do you see?

Learn more here:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/peekaboo-palm-tropical-art-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

Paradise Found

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amazing sunset, beach, beach combers, beaches, bradenton, bradenton beaches, bradenton florida, california, clouds, coast, coastal, coastal living, daybreak, diving, florida, hawaii, honeymoon, landscape, landscapes, lido, naples, night, nightfall, north lido, ocean, resort, sarasota, sarasota beaches, sarasota florida, scuba, scuba diving, sea, seascape, seascapes, set, sharon cummings, siesta key, sky, snorkeling, summer, sun, sun rays, sunset, sunsets, surf, surfing, tropical, tropics, vacation, venice, water

 

One of the things I love most about living in Florida is the easy access to the most beautiful beaches in the World.  I have made Tampa my residence for over 25 years, but Sarasota is my home town and it is where my heart wonders when I need to calm my spirit.  It is about an hour drive from my house to Lido Beach and I can tell you it is well worth it.  There are closer coastlines, but none can compare to this tropical oasis.  It truly is paradise!  I recently took my daughter on a getaway to Lido Resort and this is the sunset that kissed us goodnight the first evening.  Enjoy!

See more here:

 http://fineartamerica.com/featured/sunset-in-paradise-beach-photography-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html