West Midlands artist, Sharon Ellis Hughes, takes inspiration for her paintings from her long walks with her companion and four legged friend Ben. Studying and sketching wild flowers, animals and their environment, Sharon combines her wonderful imagery with her imagination and produces compelling naive-like paintings.
The red maple trees painting to the right, with it’s simple composition and distant trees fading into mist, is joyful to look at.
Sharon also features animals often in her paintings. This painting ‘ Autumn Silver Birch Forest’ featuring a Sparrow hawk gliding over red toadstools, is just wonderful. There is so much detail in the birds wings and the silver birches and silver of the birds feathers unite the composition.
This painting to the right of a Swan with it’s wings outstretched as it takes flight, was based on a sketch that Sharon did many years ago. Her eye for composition and drama made Sharon use her observational sketch in a much more dramatic setting of nightfall. Now the moonlight highlights the white feathers and the Swan looks majestic.
Flowers and butterflies are often featured in Sharon’s paintings. In ‘Magnolia and butterflies’ to the left, Sharon hones the design to it’s bare essentials with the end effect being a bold, eye-catching composition.
The painting to the right of the Whales fin flipping upwards as it dives down into the sea, is best described in Sharon’s own words – “The majesty and beauty of nature at it’s best”.
Sharon’s work is mostly done in watercolours and artist colour pencils, however she is selling her artwork on Artdomain as mounted prints for £15 which includes P&P in the UK. You can contact her if you are interested in an original or to enquire about posting outwith the UK.
I think her work would be marvellous illustrating children’s books, so if anyone has any thoughts on how Sharon could get into the illustration business please leave comments below or contact Sharon.
More of Sharon’s gallery can be seen on Artdomain at www.EscapeGallery.co.uk
