I Couldn’t Resist…

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abstract bird, adorable, art, art prints, artwork, bahamas, beach, beach home, beach house, bird, birds, bright, california, canvas, canvas prints, caribbean, cheerful, colorful, costa rica, cute, exotic birds, eye, feather, feathers, florida, fun, funny, island, islands, jimmy buffet, macaw, miami, naples, ocean, ocean life, paintings, parrot, parrots, pets, prints, sarasota, sea, sharon cummings, st. thomas, tommy bahama, tropical bird, tropical colors, tropical decor, vacation, vibrant

“Parrot Head”

New Mixed Media Art Painting

Sharon Cummings

2014

I really couldn’t resist naming this guy “Parrot Head”.  After all it is both, literally and figuratively.  And I do live in paradise close to margaritaville.  I’ve got tropical shirts and a hammock.  I just need to turn on some Jimmy Buffet tunes and I can convince myself that it is 5 o’ clock somewhere. 😉

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A Tale Of Two K.O.I…

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abstract, abstract fish, alive, aquarium, art, blue water, bold, buy, colorful fish, fish, fishes, for sale, koi, koi pond, magic, magical, mosaic, mosaics, online, orange koi, paintings, peace, peaceful, pond, prints, red koi, sanctuary, sharon cummings, texture, vibrant, yellow koi

I am often asked by people if I have prints of certain paintings in my archives.  So often, I do not.  Ten plus years ago when I started painting and selling my art for a career, I did not have a camera that could take pictures with high enough resolution to produce quality prints.  I am lucky to get small prints of some.  A few have been successfully digitally remastered as well.  But my “Koi” were a no go on both fronts.  The piece above has been very popular for me as a commission and I absolutely enjoy painting them!  However, I wanted to be able to create prints as well.  So I painted one specifically for this purpose.  Now this piece can be enjoyed in a massive size!  Enjoi the koi!

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F.R.E.S.H. Perspective…

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abstract, abstract art, abstract art canvas prints, abstract art print, abstract paintings, abstract prints, art, artwork, black, bold art, bold prints, colorful, colors, contemporary, high contrast, landscape art, landscape painting, landscape paintings, landscape print, landscape prints, landscapes art, landscapes paintings, landscapes prints, large paintings, large prints, louisiana, mardi gras, modern, new orleans, painting, party, primary, print, red, sharon cummings, spiritual, spirituality, vibrant, yellow

One of the things I love about abstract art is the that it is incredibly versatile. It looks good in modern, contemporary and even in some traditional spaces.  I originally listed this piece in a horizontal presentation, but decided that I liked it vertically as well.  Seems to have a lot more energy this way and makes me want to party!

What do you see?

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I Take One of These Every Day…

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abstract, abstract art, abstract art canvas prints, abstract art print, abstract paintings, abstract prints, art, artwork, black, bold art, bold prints, colorful, colors, contemporary, faith, high contrast, landscape art, landscape painting, landscape paintings, landscape print, landscape prints, landscapes art, landscapes paintings, landscapes prints, large paintings, large prints, leap of faith, modern, painting, print, red, sharon cummings, spiritual, spirituality, vibrant, yellow

 

If you clicked on my blog expecting the next magical do it all supplement, I am sorry but that isn’t it.  And it’s not a drug, nap or long walk either. It is simply a “leap of faith”.  I swing my legs out of bed and believe they will work properly.  I trust that my hands will be able to paint and that my eyes will be able to see.  I have dealt with a neurological challenge for over 18 years now and some days those simple tasks elude me.  But most days I just have faith and the miracle of a normal day appears.

For me, my artwork is a big part of that leap.  And let me tell you it is a sprinting, all out, do not stop kind of jump!  It isn’t easy putting yourself out there every single day for judgement.  Imagine yourself standing naked in a room filled with hundreds of strangers pointing their fingers and critiquing your body.  It’s a similar feeling when I list a new work.  It’s raw and personal and sometimes you just want to snap it back into your studio where it is safe.

But faith does not keep you safe.  No it’s the trust that keeps you going even when it is dangerous with the “knowing” that you will make it through whatever you must face.

Today I offer you…..”A Leap Of Faith”.

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No L.I.M.I.T.S…Imagine That!!

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a live without limits, abstract, abstract art, abstract art canvas prints, abstract art print, abstract paintings, abstract prints, art, artwork, black, bold art, bold prints, colorful, colors, contemporary, contemporary art, creativity, healing, high contrast, imagination, landscape art, landscape painting, landscape paintings, landscape print, landscape prints, landscapes art, landscapes paintings, landscapes prints, large paintings, large prints, limitations, limits, modern, modern art, no limits, overcoming limitations, painting, primary, print, red, sharon cummings, spiritual, spirituality, vibrant, yellow

On this beautiful planet called Earth, we are limited by many laws.  Some are man-made and others are physical constraints that we are all subject to. Every person has to deal with gravity and so far no one has come up with a way to completely halt the aging process.  Those are just two examples. However, there is one place where our visions, actions and abilities are boundless. Imagination is the key to a limitless life.  And it’s also been scientifically proven to keep you healthy.  The more you use it, the better you will fare.

You might think of imagination as something that is “not real”.  But studies have shown that what we think in our minds can have a profound physiological response in our bodies.  Your brain often cannot distinguish whether you are imagining something or actually experiencing it. I have been using visualization techniques in my life for many years now.  When I have a goal or desire, I spend time each day focusing on what having that particular goal will look and feel like.  I imagine that I already have it and I feel all of the good sensations that come along with attaining it.  I believe this is how my business has gone from 20.00 worth of art supplies to a full-time thriving career.  Just a little over a year ago, I set my imagination to having a job where I could create whatever I wanted for fun and I would make my living off of the sales of prints of my work.  That vision has come true exactly as I imagined.  

Your imagination can also be a very powerful resource in relieving stress, pain, and other unwanted symptoms.  I have a chronic neurological disorder, but I am not ruled by it’s symptoms.  I visualize my good health every day and I do not limit my activities.  I exercise daily and enjoy all of the interests I always have.  I still have symptoms, but I choose to see them in a creative way.  I even have fun with them sometimes.  If my world is bobbing up and down….I am on a boat in my head having a blast!  My mind sees me well, so I am.  

Imagination…………………………start using it…………………………it has no limits!

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Ordinary Miracles…

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affirmations, beauty, calming, colorful.water lily, Day, day spa, faith, floral, flower garden, flowers, lotus, massage, meditation, miracles, natural, nature, ordinary miracles, pink flower, pink lotus, poem, poet, poetic, poetry, pond, salon, salons, soothing, spa, spas, vibrant, zen, zen flower

Millions of seconds pass unnoticed

Boring and unremarkable

Life’s time clock

But one second can change everything

Just one

And everything is different

Everything

A birth

A death

An accident

A surprise

Just that one moment

Creates a cascade of transformation

Each second

Can be

An ordinary miracle.

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Field T.R.I.P!!

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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. 🙂

 

• The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo, Florida, USA include flora, fauna and natural resources in surroundings intended to inspire, educate and promote environmentally friendly techniques.

• Address: 12520 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33774

  (727) 582-2100

• Hours: 

  Open today · 7:00 am – 7:00 pm

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I.C.E…I.C.E….Baby!

Tags

bold, botanical, botanical art, botanical photos, botanical prints, colorful, floral, floral photography, flower, flowers, fuchsia, garden, gardening, gardens, ground cover, groundcover, hot pink, ice, ice flower, ice plant, macro, macro photography, natural, nature, photo, photograph, photography, pink, pink flower, pink flowers, pink petals, plants, pretty, sharon cummings, spring, spring flowers, vibrant, wild flowers, wildflowers

 

This past weekend was filled with fun and diversion from my normal routine.  I spent a lovely day with a friend in Tarpon Springs eating Greek food, playing pool and hitting the vintage shops.  I also got in some photography on Saturday.  My husband and I headed out to Sand Key, FL and surrounding beaches to soak up a little sunshine and explore beach condos.  While we were trekking about, these hot pink flowers really caught my eye.  They were ground hugging beauties.  He immediately identified them as “ice plants” which I had never seen in the South before.  He said they grow like wild up in California where he is from.  In 45 years this is my first ice plant spotting. Wow!  The color is fantastic (unaltered…straight from my Nikon D7000).  I find I actually “see” more when I carry my macro lens with me.  There really is so much beauty in our world. 🙂

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Reinventing the Nude

Tags

abstract, abstract art, and, art, b&w, bed, black, black and white, classic, classic nudes, classy, classy nude, classy nudes, contemporary, contemporary art, erotic, faabest, fashion, female, female nude, female nudes, figures, for couples, girl, high contrast, hot, lady, layered, love, lovers, loving, modern, modern art, modern nude, modern nudes, mosaic, mosaics, naked, nude, nude silhouette, nudes, pebble, pebbles, pop, rock, rocks, romance, romantic, sensual, sex, sexy, sharon cummings, sign, silhouette, siren, sophisticated, sophisticated nude, sophisticated nudes, stone, stones, textured, vibrant, vivid, white, woman, women

I have always enjoyed the female form for it’s interesting curves and shadows…at every turn there is a soft hill or burrow. In college I volunteered as a model for many figure drawing classes. I was always struck by how professional and non-sexual posing for a class was. Afterwards, many thanked me for my time and shook my hand. No one ever checked me out or came on to me.It was so very intriguing to walk around and see the many different ways that individual artists interpreted my body. Some making me Rubenesque while others took away my curves. Larger breasts. Smaller breasts. So many styles and creative minds.

 

“Vulnerable” is a very personal piece. A woman’s back has always seemed to me to be so very sensitive, tender and exposed. My Labor of Love pieces are one of my most recognizable and collected of my styles. It was a challenge to transform a painted medium onto the computer, but the results were fantastic. Sections of my Labor of Love arrangements hand sewn to form exquisite patterns. Stone Rock’d Art was born.She is on her way to becoming one of my best sellers…..feel her vulnerability.

 

“Suspended” is my favorite from this nude series.  I love the tension and mystery in the pose. Those are actually my legs, but I was not suspended. 😉 A photographer friend photographed me laying nude on the sideboard in my dining room.  I like to use myself or willing friends as models for my work as much as possible.  I had to round out my bottom for this piece of art because pressed against the hard wood left it looking a little flat. 😉 Can you feel the tension?

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

Tags

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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