Salon Woman with Accessorie Pomeranian, 30x24, by Sharon Hodges

I woke up with different brain cells firing today....and this is what came off the easel. Who knew? Definitely more abstracted than recent work and alot of fun. I may expand this as a series of paintings 'ripped from the pages of my sketchbook'. I love how paper looks when it is ripped off of spiral bound books...especially heavy drawing paper. This is painted with oil paints and oil sticks, like giant crayons. I LOVE those. Please visit my website, and contact me if your are interested in this or other paintings.

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.

Liza, 18x24, NFS

My husband and I were guests of our god-daughter's family last summer at Sea Island, GA, for a wonderful beach vacation. My favorite photo from that trip is of our god-daughter, Liza, when she was playing on the beach, writing her name in the sand. As this posts, Liza will be the flower girl in my oldest niece's wedding, so we will all be together in Florida for the big event. This painting is a gift to Liza's parents. If you have interest in other paintings or commissions, please contact me.

Retrieving Dilemma, 18x24

Still painting the retriever, and she has a real dilemma here. Should she keep the wonderful stick, or drop it for that great lime green tennis ball? Tough choice. This particular dog will try to put both in her mouth and will likely succeed. She has a great heart. I hope I have captured just a hint of the brief moment of her indecision. SOLD

Cafe Cat, 20 x 16

I am enjoying painting with lots of luscious, heavy paint.....it really is all about the paint. Something is changing in my painting. We will just see where this goes. Sold.

Trinity River Cactus, 14x11x2

This is a small work on panel, a study of cactus found along the river's edge last summer. My studio group is mounting a show at the Texas Discovery Gardens at the Texas State Fair. The show will be on display thru December 31, 2010, so if you go to the State Fair, stop by and see the show. The art show is free, and the building itself is wonderful, as are the fabulous gardens, and the Butterfly Exhibit. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, you can do so at the Texas Discover Gardens, or just contact me.

Untitled Commission-60x48x3 (sold)

This painting was commissioned after the client saw another work "Just a Country Song Waiting to Happen" which is on display at the Dutch Art Gallery, Dallas, TX. Both paintings have a beautiful dress in common, but then they part ways. This painting is rich in symbolism telling a story of many important events in this couple's life together. The client requested that the painting contain the special dress, the colorful bow-tie that was worn by the groom at their wedding, and a special piece of jewelry, and a representation of their wedding date. I chose to perch the dress form's magic melon on a tight rope (because balancing marriage, career, family is like a tight rope, yes?), the melon being a fertility symbol. The eggs in the bird's nest represent the couple's children, and the nest the safety of their family. The groom's jacket hangs from the jungle vines (the jungle representing the challenges of his professional career). The yellow bird holds a scroll with their wedding date in the Roman calendar. A humming bird holds a strand of pearls representing one of the many pieces of jewelry the husband has gifted the wife for special occasions throughout their marriage. The blue dragonfly is a symbol of the warm hospitality that this couple continuously offers their many friends and family members. It was a challenging and rewarding commission. I was honored to work with this couple on their special painting!

Play Ball, 30x40

I totally love dogs and their consistent excitement about every little thing. This golden retreiver, like most, LOVES to chase her tennis ball...every time is like the first time. I hope my painting captures a tiny bit of that joy. I guess painting dogs, as subject matter goes, may not be considered 'high brow art', but I believe the human species would be alot happier if we approached our lives like dogs approach theirs. I will likely paint more dogs.
This painting is gallery wrapped linen, finished edges, so no need to frame. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me. Thanks!

Sun Goddess in Pink, 20x16x2

This is the third sun goddess this week, and I am enjoying the graphics of these compositions. This is painted on gallery wrapped linen, so no need to frame. (sold)

Sun Goddess in Black, 20x16x2

Hmmmm...the second of the current sun goddess series. She looks uncomfortable to me, but I can't sit still long enough to sunbathe, so what do I know? I am painting on linen w/ clear gesso, which allows the grey-taupe tone of the linen to show thru. I am experimenting with leaving some of that canvas unpainted. This is gallery depth linen, so no need to frame. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

Sun Goddess in Green, 20x16x2

I have a good bit of reference material of people soaking up the sun in various degrees of undress. My favorite perspective is looking from the deck above...it was easy to observe the patterns, colors, and shadows without intruding on the individual's solitude. I plan a series of these...they could be interesting hung together, but each will stand on its own composition. I am currently painting on gallery depth linen, so no need to frame. (Sold)

Grandma's Kitchen, 20x16x2

I painted this from an old family photo. The lady in lilac was my maternal grandmother, and the other women were 2 of her 5 daughters. Grandma's table was always full of good, country cooking and conversation. My mom will enjoy this for Christmas. NFS

Cow and Calf, 16x20x2

These beautiful cows were enjoying a sunny day in south Texas. The light was crisp, and I liked the shadow shapes. This is oil on natural linen, gallery depth, no need to frame. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

The Diner, 60x36x2, oil on gallery canvas

A great diner is one of my favorite things. This one is in Dallas, owned by a friend of mine, and is just a great place for food and friends. The strong morning light through the back windows added an interesting touch to this composition, making all the condiments look like mini-landscapes (well, that's how it looked to me!). If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

Unknown Father and Son, 60x36x2

This father and son shared a tender moment at the Dallas Arboretum last spring. This is, for me, a large work, and I am happy with the rendering of this moment. Thanks for viewing my work.If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

Driving Miss Daisy 11x14

Old truck, old dog, what could be better? Enough said.
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

Sharon Hodges: Not Exactly Fishing, 24x30

Not exactly, but I believe these boys would have grabbed one if they could! It was a beautiful day with strong light dancing off the water and the boys...a good day.
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

Canine Unit on Parade, 40x30x2- (sold)

This is the second painting from the Nantucket Memorial Day Parade. Again a figurative piece, new for me, and I am pleased with this one. I love that the dogs show movement and aren't looking at us, heck, the dark one is running out of the frame!
SOLD.

Memorial Day Bagpipers 40x30x2

OK, yes, I am alive, albeit traveling, and trying to catch up on posting. Ahem. I shot some parade photos in Nantucket in spring 08, and loved several of them. I knew they could be interesting paintings, but I kept putting them off...probably because they are figurative. If you are following my blog, you will note these next few posts are all figurative...what's up w/ that? Generally, figures strike fear in my heart, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I like the graphic quality of these next few paintings. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please contact me.

Dogs of War, 30x40x2

Fabulous niece Tara recently sent a link of interest...seems that our military men and women often encounter abandoned, starving, or otherwise mistreated animals while serving their missions abroad. Understandably, the military does not encourage the bonds that inevitably develop and does not allow transport of these companion animals on military equipment. That said, the military personnel often develop deep, loving bonds with these dogs and cats, and do not want to leave them behind when their tours are over. International transportation of animals is a costly and paperwork laden endeavor, beyond the means of most of us; however, the SPCA International has set up a program to assist our troops in bringing their animals home to the USA. If interested, take a look at their site and click on the "Operation Baghdad Pups" button. Anyway the stories on that site inspired this painting. (sold)