One of my newest paintings on paper symbolizes the relationships of people who are adrift in their lives in a harbor surrounded by friends and family. Perhaps all they need to do is look around to find support and happiness.
Adrift, acrylic on paper, 19×24, 2013, Sharon Pierce McCullough.
A geometric abstract painting done with acrylics in neutral colors … relating to taking risks in our daily lives.
Painted with acrylics on archival bristol board, this painting is titled Solitude. It is part of the body of work called What Lies Beneath.
2013, Sharon Pierce McCullough
Today I’ve been wondering if other artists simultaneously work on several bodies of work at one time. Paintings seem to swirl through my head, even when I awake in the middle of the night. I don’t really want to be planning my paintings but sometimes it happens.
The one body of work I still continue to work on is “What Lies Beneath” … which has a sense of movement to it but also an underlying thread of geometrics. Perhaps these geometric shapes are a fallback to my love of geometry while growing up. Seriously, I was one of two girls in the advanced math class in high school. I loved math. So, maybe that’s my draw to geometrics?
But with some of my paintings I am drawn to use either white or black. The other body of work I am putting together I am calling “Wicked Good”. Is this normal though to paint in a few given directions all at one time?
Wired, 19×24, Acrylics on bristol board, 2013, Sharon Pierce McCullough.
Have you ever wondered how different today’s abstract art is from some of the famous abstract artists that are now very collectible? When you look at some of today’s art it doesn’t seem all that different than centuries ago. Perhaps some of this is because many artists study art history and are greatly influenced by artists of the past.
Sometimes I wish I knew more art history, but at the same time, I am happy to be evolving in my own direction. Sometimes when I start a painting I am sure of the direction but my hand takes over and the end result is not what I might have intended.
Notches, acrylic on paper, 19×24, Sharon Pierce McCullough
Some days when I awake my mind seems to go in rhyme. If I let myself I could create little poems all day long on those days. Nothing really literary, mind you. I seem to be destined to only write non-sensical or whimsical little poems. Even remembering back to high school, when our English literature teacher gave poetry assignments, my poems were about things like “a green crocodile in the blue Nile” … really. Needless to say, that teacher offered no encouragement whatsoever. However, had she, my creative side might have bloomed a bit earlier.
But I can see a correlation with my painting and my poetry, such as it is. Well, let’s say I can do both, hand in hand.
An example would be one of the little poems from my children’s book “The Bear with Blue Hair” … with this poem about a polar bear.
If I were a polar bear,
I’d be pink,
And Id brush my teeth,
At the bathroom sink.
Alongside this type of creativity, here is a painting from yesterday.
Daredevils, 2013, acrylic on paper, Sharon Pierce McCullough
