Mother and Child

The most amazing thing happened while at the ER with my mother this week (yes, she is fine) ....I was on my way to the studio last Wednesday morning when a doctor phoned and said Mom needed to go to the hospital for tests and that we should come to the ER.  So I diverted to Mom's, picked her up, and headed to the hospital....against her wishes....she was very unhappy that I was going in my painting clothes!  Gasp.  They were clean, but had (you guessed it) spots of paint all over.  Nevermind.  We were admitted and shortly a Dr. Nelson came and administered to Mom.  Then, he looked up and said, "Oh, you must be an artist...Do you happen to know Hans and Pam Massar?"    

me: "Yes, I do, they are my gallery representatives here in Dallas, great people.  Do you go to their gallery?"

him: " yes, frequently...in fact, my wife and I bought the most wonderful painting there recently...let me show you, I keep a photo on my phone!!! We really love this painting, it just lights up our home.  I am embarrassed that I can't remember the artist's name, but we love the painting."

As he looks thru his phone, a lightbulb goes off in my head...

me:  "Do you happen to live near Hans and Pam?"

Him:  "Yes."  He finds the photo and is showing it to the other drs and staff.

me:  "I think I can help you out....that artist is Sharon Hodges and she looks exactly like me!"

hahaha!  You can imagine the rest.  What a total joy to meet someone who has purchased a painting and really loves it.  This was a major piece for me...it is 44x44....and all because I wore my painting clothes to the ER.  :))  Life is good.
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Basket Weaver, 24x24x2

Another of the native American series...a woman weaving baskets, this being a study for a larger piece that will show some of her baskets all around her...I think the forms will be interesting in the strong light.  My favorite thing about these paintings is the costuming, if you will...the opportunity to work with the colors and textures of decoration and draping of the clothing...not that it has to be luxurious, but just the layers and variety of fabrics and colors and the excuse to pile on the paint and smash it around...this will get expensive as these canvases get expansive, but I think the larger scale will be yield looser drawing...I am trying to get farther and farther away from the canvas with the brushwork...to the point of adding extensions to my large brushes... (can you say stick this brush into a 3-4 foot bamboo cutting?  Now that, friends, will get you away from the canvas!)

See my website for better views of this and other work. Thanks for looking at my art!  Best, Sharon

Woman with Red Scarf, 30x24

I am back to painting the native American series, and I like this one...she is strong, and proud, and handsome. I plan to post this on my website and activate the zoom feature, so that you can better see the brushwork.  There is alot of paint on this canvas.  I am especially enjoying the textural opportunities presented by the rendering of the clothing and hair ornaments.  Contact me for more info.  Thanks for looking at my work.  Kind regards, Sharon

Proud on the Prairie, by Sharon Hodges, 54x48

My goal here was to show the proud native American Indian woman rising from the prairie...ok, so I got really carried away with all the textures and the layers of paint...if you don't believe me, look at this painting on my new website and use the zoom feature. I do love lots of paint. The feathers may be my favorite part, just layers and layers of bits of color. And I love the strong features of this figure. Painting faces is always challenging , but I am pleased with this one's expressive bearing...I'm going to keep working on this series. This painting is large, it stretched to 54x48, on gallery stretchers. Please contact me if you have interest in this work, and thanks for looking!

Mother and Son

I have always been intrigued with the first Americans, the native Americans, and stories of their lives were my favorite reading subject as a child. I often chose to write my school reports about these peoples, so it may not be surprising that I have finally chosen to paint this subject. It is intimidating. I am particularly interested in native American women, who had more critical roles in daily tribal life than many of us would ever have imagined. While I am not in a position to render a great deal of scholarly information on the subject, I am enjoying painting these women...they are strong featured and often have interesting clothing and ornament. This painting is 44x44, currently mounted on gallery stretched canvas. If you have interest in this painting, please contact me. Please also visit my new website.  This painting can also be seen on page 64 of the April 2011 Western Art Collector magazine.