Clematis

Thank you so much to all who submitted a name for the Clematis Painting. There were some great names and it was a difficult choice, but I had to pick one.  I choose “Reaching for the Sun” , as the name of the Clematis Painting. I really love the name and believe it invokes the feeling I had when I was painting those beauties. Congratulations to Julie, from Michigan, as the winner, she will receive a signed open addition print of “Reaching for the Sun”. It is an 8″ x 10″ print, on medium weight art stock paper, suitable for framing. Once again, thanks so much to each of you for participated in the contest. Look for my next contest coming soon.

Julie immediatly replied to my email notifing her as the winner

“Oh my I am so excited about winning-I love the painting-its so gorgeous  The instant I saw the painting-the name just popped into my head lol”

Beginning to paint

I have decided it is time to get back to painting. Well, I have been painting, but on grand children’s nursery walls, which I love, but, when I wasn’t painting on walls, nothing to do but I decided I would make a couple of small quilts. What was I thinking? Well enough is enough, I have to start a new piece. I miss my time in front of a canvas. It is my opportunity to use the talent that God has given me, to attempt to capture his magnificent creations. As Erma Bombeck said ” When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”  I hope I can say the same thing.

This new piece will be called “The Art of Gardening”, it is a 36″ x 48″ gallery wrapped canvas and has some of my favorite things in it. There are the Morning Glories on our back fence, sunflowers in our side garden, my old cobalt blue and yellow bottles, my potted plants, and not to forget a butterfly! So here it is sketched out, it’s kind of rough, but the painting has started! I’ll keep you up to date on it’s progress.

The Sketch

The Painted Lady

What a fantastic run. I can not say enough thank you’s to the Gallery at the Discovery Gardens in Fair Park for asking me to exhibit my Paintings at the Discovery Gallery. It was a perfect venue for my pieces; I feel so blessed to have had so many people enjoy my work. It was a very successful show, however bitter sweet to see a few of my pieces go to their new homes. I hope each of those pieces will bring many smiles to their new owners. The following is a portion of an email I received from the folks that made “The Painted Lady” and “Zinnias” theirs:

“we couldn’t leave without not only the Painted Lady ( that I was hoping for) but also the Zinnias .  They are now making us smile in my favorite room in the house, my sun room.  They are perfect.. fit, subject, style, artistry, and soul.   My husband even said,  given what you wrote about why you paint , that purchasing them and sharing them with our family and friends is an act of worship.  I wanted you to know that they are in good hands and have touched us deeply.”

I feel so blessed that they are going to be enjoyed for many years by such wonderful people. Thank you to all who viewed my work, it was such a pleasure to share my gift with you all.

Clematis

I have finally finished my painting of the Clematis in my side yard. I was inspired by the beautiful Spring Clematis blooming in mass on our side yard trellis. These Clematis are perennials that come back ever year, they love the cool spring and fall and will bloom twice a year, spring being their most showy bloom. They grow best when another plant shades their roots and their tops receive full sun. Interestingly enough the Clematis is famous as a flowering plant, but its true flowers are in fact very tiny, the parts that we think of as the colorful flower petals, are actually the sepals. The blooms and sepals eventually fall away, leaving a cluster of seeds and tails. These spring-blooming clematis, flower on the previous year’s stems, summer/fall blooming clematis bloom only on the ends of new stems, and twice-flowering clematis do both.

So here is the finished image and I am so excited to read the creative and heartfelt names you folks come up with for this painting.

You Could Win This Painting as an Open Edition Print!

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment against this post with your suggestion of a name for this painting.
2. Sign up for my monthly newsletter, only those people who have signed up for The Art of Smiles Newsletter will be eligible.
3. I will choose the winner and that person will get a free signed and numbered, open edition print of the Clematis painting.
4. The contest ends on August 31st, 2010 at 8PM CST, so what are you waiting for, get creative, leave a comment with your name for the painting and sign up for my newsletter, you could be the winner of this wonderful signed print.

Hope Rising

Hope Rising, sponsored by the Fellowship Creative Team is an absolutely fantastic fine art event taking place at the Atrium Gallery in the heart of the Fort Worth Cultural Arts District. A group of 40 artist will be displaying their work at the Atrium Gallery from July 4th through August 4th. There will also be an Artist Reception this Friday, July 16th from 6:00 until 9:00 pm. I would like to invite everyone to come out and support local artists as well as support a great cause, Hope for Haiti. A portion of the proceeds will go to Hope for Haiti, a project sponsored by Fellowship Church, which helps orphaned children in Haiti with clothing, school supplies and much more. I have three paintings in the event; there will be many other artists with paintings, sculpture, jewelry and much more. Come out on Friday, enjoy meeting the artists, enjoying refreshments and live entertainment. Who knows, You just might find a beautiful piece of art work to make your own, and help a great cause at the same time.

Artists Reception: Friday, July 16th, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Art Show: July 4th through August 4th
Fine art event of the year – including paintings, sculpture, jewelry and
more. Enjoy an evening of meeting the artists, in a festive atmosphere,
while enjoying refreshments and live entertainment. Bring your
friends to this fabulous evening of visual poetry / AKA art, sponsored
by Fellowship Creative Team. To make the evening complete, there are
lots of new hip restaurants to check out, all within the heart of Fort
Worth’s Cultural Arts District.
The Atrium Gallery
North Texas Health Science Center • 3500 Camp Bowie • Fort Worth
Atrium Gallery faces Amon Carter Museum. Corner of Camp Bowie, Lancaster, and Montgomery Street
*Parking Lot entrance located on Clifton Street, enter building on 2nd floor entrance near the flag poles.

Michael Mentler

Went to the quarterly GAP meeting last night, they brought in Michael Mentler, from the Society of Figurative Arts, a well known portrait artist and teacher. He did a short workshop/demonstration on heads, faces and features, that was excellent. What a talented man and so knowledgeable about the human form. Two of many notable statements he made ” the more you know about your subject, the better you are at drawing it” and “we see what we know”. Words to grow with. I was soooooo inspired by his drawing. Only one hour of watching and sketching with him has made me love drawing and painting even more, if that is possible. Check out more information about Michael Mentler at www.tsofa.com

Head, faces and features

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mn_zm2iw0k

Summer II by Sharen Chatterton

Our city is in the planning stages of a community garden, called Common Ground. I am so excited about the ability to have a larger garden plot than we have in our small side yard. This community garden will provide the opportunity for people to participate in a venue that will not only allow them to grow some fresh vegetables, yum, but to educate folks about organic gardening, beneficial and harmful insects, plant diseases and organic controls, as well as getting kids involved in gardening and becoming better stewards of our earth. We are, as I said, in the planning stage, but I am so excited to be getting in on the ground floor of what promises to be a wonderful adventure. There has also been talk of an art component to the garden, which would allow me the opportunity to do some of my work in a format that could withstand the Texas weather; providing vibrant colors in the Common Ground Garden all year long. Can’t wait to see the end product. The city is planning to break ground in October and be ready for spring plantings. I’ll keep you up to date on the progress.

Invitation to the Gallery

I just received a copy of a very nice review of my acrylic work hanging at the Texas Discovery Gardens, I thought I would share it with you.

It’s a piece written on the nbcdfw.com web page:

“Puppets, petunias and photography get real this Tuesday”

By ANDY YOUNG

POST MODERN PANSY’S: When you step into the gallery to view the work of local artist and gardener Sharen Chatterton, you can almost smell the roses and feel the butterfly wings glide across your cheek, but that wing is only a tear; a tear that strikes you straight in the heart when it rolls off your cheek after viewing these acrylic wonderworks at the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park. From the artist statement: “Two of my favorite things are gardening and creating art. I love the colors, the smells, and the peace and solitude that my time spent in the garden and in front of a canvas brings to me. I endeavor to express my love of nature in each of my pieces. I try to capture the beauty created by an undeniably talented God.” Plus it’s one of the last weeks to stroll the gardens before you remember that 100° weather doesn’t leave you smelling exactly like a rose.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/around-town/events/525-A-Simulacrum-to-Live-Your-Life-Through-94817409.html

Hope you get a chance to view my work at the Gallery at Texas Discovery Gardens and The Lancaster Theater in Grapevine.

Gallery at the Lancaster Theater in Grapevine

Homegrown by Sharen Chatterton

Things are really warming up in our North Texas Garden, as we ease into summer. So many of our flowers are in full bloom and the butterflies are beginning to appear. We had several black swallowtail caterpillars on our fennel and dill, in fact they consumed most of the plant, but once they moved on, it has put back out. Just yesterday I saw a black swallowtail gliding around our patio. Our Black-eyed Susan’s are in full bloom and our zinnias are beginning to come up from last years seeds. Our yellow and red yarrow are blooming and providing food for visiting butterflies. The grapevines are loaded and we already have tomatoes ready to eat and more on the way, that’s if we can keep the mockingbirds from eating them. I really enjoy spring and summer in our garden, there is so much going on. There are plenty of photo opportunities, just gathering references for future paintings. Here is a great web site for butterfly gardening, check it out.

Yellow Yarrow

http://www.ourgardengang.com/Butterflies.htm

Check out more of my work at www.sharenchatterton.com

Painting at Texas Discovery Gardens

Had a great weekend, full of painting. Saturday was so much fun, painting at the gallery, meeting and visiting with the visitors at the “Nature of Flowers” exhibit in the Gallery of Texas Discovery Gardens. I also went through the butterfly house and got some great photos. I spent time painting in the beautiful botanic gardens in Grapevine, had a great spot under a shade tree, met lots of people and enjoyed painting outdoors, what a beautiful place.  Sunday, after church I went over to my son and daughter-in-laws to paint on the nursery wall. Almost finished with the giraffe. I think Duncan is going to love it! Well, I have a full week of work ahead, best get to it.

Grapevine Art Project

Texas Discovery Gardens

Almost finished with Duncan's giraffe