Red Dot Gallery Exhibit Palm Springs

You're invited to an Artist Reception Nov. 7, 3:00-700 p.m. at the Red Dot Gallery in the Back Street Art District, 2608 S. Cherokee (off 111 next to the Mercedes Benz dealer), Palm Springs. The show runs Nov. 7-17. Contact the gallery for days and hours other than the opening reception day. Phone number 1-760-328-8634. I'll have several pieces on exhibit, including my latest piece, Peggy's Cove I.

For more artwork visit sharonjoymason.com

Halloween Posting

This original oil painting always generates interest from visitors to my studio. Seemed appropriate to post it for Halloween. It's different from my usual work. That's because someone else, a male, did the setup. My compositions tend to be on the feminine side. When I first painted it I thought it was ugly, but it grew on me and I like it a lot now.

Learning to paint is an evolving process. Still lifes are great for skill building and can be painted anytime as they're not impacted by the weather nor model schedules and time limits. They are not the most popular subject matter as far as sells go, but I enjoy painting them.

See http://www.sharonjoymason.com/ or http://www.shop.sharonjoymason.com/ for the MasonArt Collection. This painting is at the bottom of the Still Life page.

A First

Artist have painted nude bodies from the beginning of time. Drawing nudes is known in artist circles to develop drawing skills. When I first started attending nude model sessions, it was a little uncomfortable, but it doesn't take long to get "in the zone" and not even think about what you are painting. I added a nude male model to my website. This is the first time I have shown a nude anywhere. This particular model had a body most men would like to have, but a less than perfect body that has developed some character is actually more interesting to paint. See sharonjoymason.com for more artwork

Painting Peggy's Cove

Finished a small painting of picturesque Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia yesterday. Think I will paint this on a large canvas and do a series on Peggy's Cove and Nova Scotia. It's such a scenic place. I particularly like the colorful fishing boats. Brightens an overcast day.

Creating a Website

A week turned into a month, then two months, then I realized it's never done. Always tweaking, changing, testing, learning. Found out a padlock on a site really means something. To set up accepting credit cards on the site, the bank representative came to my studio to take photos to make sure I had legal produce and I had to provide financial records. A recent addition was adding music to the site. Statistics tell me it's a good thing--the bounce rate (indicates people who hit the site and immediately leave) dipped way down, but then recently someone said she hated the music. I took the music and the bounce rate went in again. I'm not totally happy with it; for instance, the program does not have the capability for the music to continue from one page to the next, rather it starts over. I'm thinking of just having the music on the home page. Plan to add slides later, too. What do you think? sharonjoymason.com

Timing is Everything

I perked up when a neighbor casually mentioned she was taking art lessons from a local artist. Art had finally found me. The first lesson was overwhelming. Pick a photo to paint and copy it as the instructor guided me through the process. This chapel door took several lessons to complete. It's laughable, but from the start you want to create a masterpiece and it doesn't work that way unless a person is a natural. Like music lessons, you have to do the "scales" first. I have more confidence and knowledge now, but the desire to learn more and get better is insatiable.

Right Side of the Brain

Looking back, next to climbing trees, my favorite pre-school pastime was drawing and coloring. Living in the Arizona desert, it started with purple mountains and green cactus, and as my skill developed, making paperdoll clothes. After that, art was side-tracked by life until my daughters both majored in art. It looked like such fun I purchased acrylics and made tedious attempts to paint. No one was more surprised than I that this early attempt is identifiable as pansies. It was years before I seriously pursued learning to paint. http://sharonjoymason.com