American Harvest

I grew up surrounded by art…

I can never remember a time in my life when our home was not filled with sketch books, brushes, easels, watercolor paper, and the smell of oil paint on canvas.

You see, my mother is a painter, a watercolorist…an artist.

As a little girl, my mom was confined to her bed with a long illness.  In those days, what was a kid to do?  There were no videos, no X-boxes, barely TV! 

Her love of drawing and art began with pencil and paper.

I remember as a child proudly showing my mom a picture I had "colored" in school.  She was always encouraging to me, but also added, "Sharon, you know the sky can be yellow or pink or gray or even purple."

"The sky isn’t always blue."

This statement expanded my world of creativity and opened my thought process to "think outside the box".

I always knew my mom had a special talent.

None of my friends’ moms were featured at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, gallery openings, art exhibits in New York City or one-woman-shows.  Their moms didn’t have piles of blue ribbons haphazardly pinned to a bulletin board shoved in the corner of an art studio.

My mom’s circle of friends included potters, abstract painters, metal sculptors, batik artists, oil painters, and other watercolorists.

Today, new friends that have come into her life, all share the same passion for art.

I am so fortunate to have a career where I continue to be surrounded by incredible art in a variety of forms.  American Harvest continues to search out new talented artists to showcase in our shop.

At American Harvest, our "family" includes paper mache artists, doll artists, jewelry sculptors, mixed media and collage artists.

Thanks Mom for opening my eyes to the world of art and for reminding me that the sky isn’t limited to blue.  Happy Mother’s Day!

(Please do not copy or reproduce any of the art work shown in this post.  All of my mother’s paintings are copyrighted and cannot be used without her written permission.  Thank you.)

I love a beautiful yard, however I know nothing about gardening.  I really don’t like to work in the yard either.  My father was a meticulous rose gardener.  So when Rodger and I moved to our present home, I decided that I wanted lots of roses.

The pale pink climbing rose bush sat in a bucket for two years before I got Rodger to plant it.  The bush was almost dead, but this year it is alive and blooming profusely.  The ivy is planted on the other side of our back fence, and does a nice job of adding color and texture to our yard.  I love old garden ornaments and mossy statues that show their age.

This rose is called a "Double Delight" and is by far the easiest rose to grow.  I can even grow it!!!  It blooms like crazy and the blooms are enormous. 

This is perhaps my favorite rose, "Princess Diana".

I am a pink girl.  I love everything pink including my front and back yards.  However, just to add a little spice and whimsy, I planted this delicate yellow rose.

Not only do I love roses for their blooms, but I love their leaves.  This variety has pink edged leaves.  I cannot wait for the flowers to open.

I took this picture in the early morning as the sun was just beginning to caress the roses.

This white rose is lightly trimmed with pink.

I really have no clue as to rose gardening.  When I prune, I can hear my father yelling from heaven, "Sharon, NOT LIKE THAT…You should have paid attention!"  He would be happy to see that I have his love for roses.

Rodger and I grow other flowering plants too.  Just don’t ask me for their names, I cannot remember!  This gorgeous plant climbs on the north fence in my yard.

Bright pink flowers welcome spring.  (I think this bush is the culprit to my allergy problems.)

This plant has the largest lavender flowers that I’ve seen.  Bumblebees love this one!  It blooms almost year round.

This nice little ground cover has pin cushion like blooms.  Sadie, my English Springer Spaniel, loves this plant.  She doesn’t eat it, but she does like to rub her face in the foliage.  She is such a "girlie" dog!

I am pleased that my garden blooms in spite of my lack of gardening abilities.