"Omg sooooooo incredible!! WHAT a joy to be a part of. I’m loving it every day. Your process is amazing...! It’s fascinating and...brings such a beautiful end result. Mwah! And thank you!! 💜"
~Melissa Sharlat
~Melissa Sharlat
"Her Sea of Songs" fine art giclée prints are now available! Click here for details. 10% of every purchase price is being donated to the nonprofit Baltimore ArtsLift Collective now and forever 💜
When the multi-gifted Melissa Ultra Sharlat.Singer.Actress.Reverend.Diva commissioned me to create a painting for her based on my "Shore of Sorrows" painting, I was both thrilled and scared to death all at once! Fulfilling her request would mean accepting and completing my first true commission. And it would also mean creating something new with personal appeal and meaning for a beloved friend—I wouldn't want to fail her expectations or disappoint her! Was I up to the challenge of her request? The honor of her wanting to live with a piece of my artwork in her home?
Melissa and I spoke about my concerns. Because I paint for myself—to help me feel better—it's my emotion that primarily drives what I choose to create, I didn't know if I could paint for someone else. I'm often inspired by nature (light, shadow, form) but I'm usually connecting what I see with how it makes me feel—and that relationship is what I'm interpreting when I'm creating art. I needed to be able to respond to the piece as I worked on it. I wondered if I would feel blocked if the commission process were too specific or too tight a timeline. I asked Melissa what drew her to "Shore of Sorrows." Her response was going to help me identify whether or not I would feel restricted in my process as I created. She loves supporting artists (she's one herself!) and she loves "Shore of Sorrows" but it was too wide for the space where she wanted to view it every day. Other than adding in some of her favorite purple 💜—I was free to create it with "Shore of Sorrows" as inspiration, so I said, "Yes!"
There's much more wonder and 💜 and excitement to this story, and I'll talk about all of that later in a video (currently in a rough version), about the beautiful collaboration with Melissa for this painting—which also happens to be the origin story for the 💜 Baltimore ArtsLift Collective! 💜
I'm so grateful to Melissa for this opportunity and for trusting me with her painting! Thank you, lovely you!
"Her Sea of Songs"
12" x 24" Mixed media on cradled artist canvas
Original: SOLD
"Her Sea of Songs" fine art giclée prints are now available! Click HERE to order.
