Watercolor Musings

The entire first half of this year I focused on meeting deadlines and fulfilling projects associated with being a textile/quilt designer. Don't get me wrong, I love everything I do but at some point it turns you into feeling more like a machine rather than a creative. To be honest I was getting a bit burned out but the carrot for me to power through it all was that the last half of the year I promised myself I would do less sewing and more painting!

I'm so enjoying my return to painting and my biggest surprise is how I've embrassed watercolors! Right now I'm infatuated with them and am painting at 2-3 times a week. I realized my paintings have exceeded my posting about them, thus the subject of this post. 

If you follow me on Instagram @sharonhollanddesigns you've seen these images and more since I post regularly because of the ease and timesaving convenience of posting to IG.

Two weeks ago I flew home to visit my parents and family. It was a wonderful trip with relaxing quality time spent with everyone. I'm actually not ready to get back to work and am holding onto the memories of that visit. 

The Cosmos in Vase watercolor painting was painted before I left as a gift for my mother's birthday. I'm extremely pleased with how that still life turned out. 

I packed my watercolor supplies and had the best time each day painting along side my father. He's an extremely talented man and the driver behind my becoming the artist I am today. Again, these are memories that fill my heart with such joy!

With Labor Day weekend fast approaching it herald's the bitter sweet end of summer. There will still be flowers to paint for at least another month but I now feel the pressure to capture as much of this year's blooms as possible. 

The lovely thing is that as I paint I'm also in the process of creating a new fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics for a 2019 spring collection. Many of these blooms I'm painting will be represented in those new prints. 

I realize there's much easier ways to create repeat pattern designs then how I make mine but it's not about that for me. I love the process, the thought behind the design, and the art that goes into each thing I create. Wether it's taking the original photograph as a study, drawing from real life, painting or putting down marks on paper first my designs are an expression of who I am as an artist. Creative decisions are made every step of the way. 

So, follow along here and on Instagram as I reconnect to being an artist while still being a quilt designer--it's all stitched together!