Sharon – Sharon Christensen Fine Art

Tea Towels….The Why & How

How It All Began

About five or six years ago I happened to read a short article in Martha Stewart Living magazine about a new company called Spoonflower, specializing in the printing of designs of independent artists onto fabric. I thought this sounded too good to be true! For years I wondered how to get my watercolors printed onto fabric or wallpaper. (They didn’t teach useful things like this at art school). Normally, you would have to license your work to a design company, and they would make all the decisions from there.

What Do They Do??

I later learned that Spoonflower is a print-on-demand fabric and wallpaper company located in Durham, North Carolina, that allows independent designers to sell their designs through the Spoonflower platform. They have millions of designs to choose from and can print them on a wide range of fabric substrates. Anyone can purchase fabric or wallpaper by the yard, or order ready-made products ranging from curtains to bed sheets, all printed with the design of their choice, created by themselves or by someone else.

After reading this article I was excited to check out the Spoonflower website and see if what I had read was indeed true and useful to me. I was happy to find that it was!… and that they took orders as small as a single yard, and did indeed print whatever digital imagery you uploaded to their site. This opened a whole new world to me! I couldn’t wait to try this.

How I Put This New Tool to Use

I started by ordering a swatch booklet with samples of their fabrics and wallpapers. Not long after that, I watched one of their instructional videos on how to create a personalized tea towel using images of handwritten recipes printed on their 54 inch linen/cotton canvas. This tutorial helped me decide that tea towels would be a good way to present my art on cloth. I realized they could also be used as a wall-hanging or a table runner. I have even stretched them over a frame to hang as a canvas print.

Figuring It All Out

With a bit of trial and error, I figured out how to upload my designs at the correct size, depending on the fabric width, and ordered a single yard onto which I could fit four towels. I was really happy with the weight and quality of the linen/cotton canvas, and so, it is still my fabric of choice.

My process of making a tea towel are as follows; after receiving the yardage in the mail I put it through the wash, remove it from the washer and iron it while still damp. Next, I cut the four towels apart with the right amount of border, and then fold over and iron the edges in place. They’re then ready to hem on the sewing machine, and give a final pressing. Each towel takes me about 45 minutes from start to finish.

So Many Ideas, So Little Time

Over these past five or six years I would guess that I’ve sewn well over a couple hundred towels, and have printed over 30 different designs. Some have proven to be more popular than others, so I stick with the best-sellers. I would love to print many more but the fabric is relatively expensive, and the towels are time consuming to make. I have to limit myself, but my collection of designs is continuously growing as I’m always painting new things.

A New Item

Once I got a good grasp on how to create the design layout in order for it to print correctly, I expanded into making sixteen inch square throw pillows. These are a bit more time consuming to make, so I keep the number of available designs pretty low.

It Never Gets Old

No matter how long I’ve been doing this, it’s always exciting to see my new watercolors printed onto fabric. Because the original paintings are usually quite small, it’s neat to see them take on a new dimension when printed at a larger scale.

As it goes with my painting…there are so many things I could create using my designs on fabric, but there just isn’t enough time to do everything. I’ve had such a positive response to my towels that it inspires me to keep on sewing, and to see where things lead next.

Thank you Spoonflower for offering a great service, and excellent print and color quality that allowed me to take my art in a new direction!!

Blog Post #8 Autumn Harvest

Autumn Harvest

Late Autumn Greetings!

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the best time of the year, in my opinion. Are you as overwhelmed with things that need to get done as I have been lately? From June to Christmas it just doesn’t let up around here! It has been an irregular summer while we have a house built and live in a camper next to my barn. Thank goodness I have a kitchen room in there where I have space to cook, can, and a regular sized refrigerator. On top of everything my husband decided a few weeks ago that we should get a puppy! I will be so grateful when I have a house to live in!! I’m praying that it’s done in another week or so….. before things really start to freeze up and living in a camper will no longer be an option.

Garden Downsize

I decided last spring that with an unpredictable summer ahead I needed to cut back on my garden for this year, so it was about half of what it’s been in the past. This manageable size allowed me to actually stay ahead of the weeds for once! Unfortunately my fencer wasn’t working and so the deer had nearly uninhibited access to the garden, which resulted in them eating all of my pumpkin and cucumber plants, sweet corn, and even my gladioli. So there was a lot of work for nothing. I should’ve known that would happen, but I kept planting anyway. I ended up with plenty for me to deal with, but not enough to take to market more than a couple times, which was fine since I didn’t have time to go anyway. I missed getting to see everyone there, but not the work it takes to get things ready to sell. Maybe next year I’ll be back at it.

Juicing

This summer I invested in a steamer/juicer so I don’t have to borrow my sister’s anymore. They make getting juice out of fruit so easy! My cousin had another bumper crop of grapes this year so I took the drive to her place and picked until the car was loaded. This resulted in a few days work of steaming and canning, but now I have lots of delicious grape juice for the months ahead. Next came canning tomatoes, and then the apples needed picking. This year’s abundant apple crop made up for last year when there were none. I just finished making cider a couple days ago. My friend came to help for a few hours and then I was on my own, something I hadn’t done before. It’s definitely a job for a crew of three, so it took me awhile to get done and cleaned up. I’ve always loved making cider and am still tickled that I have my own set-up to do it.

Summer Artwork Project

Way back at the beginning of the summer I finally got going on painting a barn quilt to display on the front end of my barn. I found this design online and copied it onto this 20×20 inch piece of plywood. It was kinda tricky to figure out but I did. It’s now almost November and it still isn’t done. I just need to add a coat of varnish and a frame border. The hard part will be hanging it up, which probably have to wait until spring.

Christmas Designs for 2022

It is November first today so I’ve been anxious to find time to work on this year’s Christmas card designs. I hope I can do at least two. I finally got started on one a few days ago with a fjord pony that I want to use on cards and tea towels. I’m excited about how this will turn out. If you’re interested in fjord pony stuff, stay tuned.

Blog Post #7 Pumpkins

Pumpkins – More than Decor…. A Food for All

The technical name for the pumpkin is Cucurbita, which is actually a number of different squashes, and a genus in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae.

Garden Surprise

I find pumpkins and squash (Cucurbits) to be so much fun to grow. If the plants can survive attacks by annoying cucumber beetles and squash bugs they are pretty self-sufficient, not requiring much weeding since the large, sprawling leaves shade out the weeds. Those leaves also hide what is growing on the plants so it’s always a surprise in late summer to take a careful walk through the pumpkin patch and see the variety of shapes, colors, and sizes of pumpkins and squash that are growing. Each year I plant seeds that I’ve saved from years past, and because cucurbits easily cross-pollinate, you never know what those saved seeds will produce. Sometimes the new fruit is like the parent, but many times they turn out to be a combination of things.

Good Eating

Other than the small decorative gourds everything I plant is edible, so if it has a nice, thick, richly colored, orange flesh it is good to use in any recipe calling for “pumpkin. My favorite baking varieties are butternut and buttercup squash, and the blue-gray Blue Doll and Jaradahl pumpkins which have an incredibly thick shell giving you lots of pumpkin. These all have a dark orange flesh that is smooth in texture. The blue pumpkins also have a very long shelf life, lasting even until the following spring if stored in a cool environment.

For the first time this past year I grew Delicata squash and was amazed at how sweet they are. You really can eat them without adding sugar. They are small and ribbed, similar to an acorn squash making a perfect serving for two. When preparing this variety, or any squash that has lobes, it is easiest to cut it in half and bake on a cookie sheet in the oven until the flesh is soft enough to scrape out and mash. The other method I use, especially with Butternut squash is to cut them into inch thick slices, cut off the skin, cube it and boil until soft. I then drain off the water, add butter and brown sugar, and mash until smooth. Next, I put it in a bowl, sprinkle mini marshmallows on top and put it under the broiler. Half the time I get distracted, the marshmallows start burning, and the smell of smoke brings my attention back to the oven. (This is almost a Thanksgiving tradition in my family). It still tastes so good!

As mentioned before any squash or baking pumpkin can be used in recipes calling for pumpkin. It freezes well, so go ahead and buy that big squash or pie pumpkin at the farmers market in the fall, use it for decoration, and then cook and freeze what you can’t use right then. Use it to make pumpkin pie, bars, cakes, breads, or whatever pumpkin recipe you come across.

Pumpkin Overload

I always grow many more squash and pumpkins than what I can sell at market and use in the kitchen, so it is great that my two ponies absolutely love eating them. It’s a daily treat for them. If I don’t have a big chunk waiting when they get moved outside in the morning and put back in at night they’ll dig through the hay looking for some, or stand at the fence looking at me.

I don’t have a cellar to store a pile of pumpkins where they won’t freeze during the winter so I have to leave many in the barn where they eventually freeze. This works fine, though, because they are good to use until they thaw out and turn to mush in the spring. Fortunately the ponies don’t mind eating pumpkin popsicles, and they aren’t the only animals who love them. My dog always wants a chunk for herself, and even the cats like it. They’ll jump up on the counter in the barn where I cut the pumpkins open and eat the seeds and soft parts. It seems that the taste is appealing to most animals. So throw your extra cucurbits to the cows or whatever animals you have around and see if they’ll eat them.

Antiparasitic Pumpkin Seeds??

I have read that toasted and ground pumpkin seeds have been used as an effective deworming agent against tapeworms and other intestinal parasites in dogs and humans, thanks to tetracyclic triterpenes which paralyze the worms and cause them to release their grip from the intestinal wall where they feed. You can try giving a teaspoon per ten pounds of body weight once or twice a day until rid of the parasites.

Speaking of pumpkin seeds….I was really excited when I came across an article a few years ago about a variety of pumpkin that grew seeds without the shells. They are called Styrian pumpkins and were developed long ago in Austria. One commercial name that I’ve grown is called “Godiva,” in reference to the naked woman on a horse, likening that to the naked seeds. Anyway….these are smaller fruits with hard thin shells that are not good for baking, but they contain about a cup of seeds that are good to eat. Just cut the pumpkin open, strain out the seeds with your fingers and roast them in the oven. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Pumpkins for All Seasons

So you can see here that pumpkins and squash not only make a colorful fall decoration, but can be enjoyed year-round by both two and four-legged creatures for healthy and delicious eating.

Here are a couple recipes that you can try the next time you have some pumpkin on your hands.

Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Blog Post #6 The Disappearance of the Barn

Bank Barn with Pent Roof and Our Red Barn, Green County, Wisconsin

Thanks to my agricultural upbringing, I love old barns! That’s why it is a subject I return to time and time again in my paintings. In my ideal world every old barn would still have a small herd of milk cows, a draft horse or two, and a few pigs or sheep in it. There would also still be a hardworking family living on each farm who know what true “sustainable living” means; growing their own food, both plants and animals, and the waste from both of those going back into the land as fertilizer for future growth.

Today, unfortunately, many old barns are sitting idle and left to deteriorate. Once the foundation falls in or the roof starts to leak the end is near. I think it is a shame to let these iconic structures that stand as testament to our agricultural past fall apart and disappear from the landscape. In Wisconsin, where barns are a common site, it’s easy to assume that they will always be part of our rural scenery, but I fear that barns won’t be all that common in the future.

While driving down familiar roads I have noticed more and more often that a once prominent barn has now collapsed or has completely disappeared. This breaks my heart. To me it signals the end of an era, an era that defines what people think of when they hear the words ”family farm.” At one time these farms were full of life where all members of a single family worked hard each day to do the work that needed to be done, not because it was just their “job” but because it was their way of life.

“Summer in the Coulee,” a watercolor I painted from photos of farms within a few miles of where I live in west-central Wisconsin.

This is the kind of farm I grew up on, from when I was born in 1975 to approximately 2004, when my parents sold the cows. My dad milked our holstein herd twice a day in our forty stanchion barn. My mom fed the cows and calves in the morning and us kids did that job at night. Of course, there were a million other jobs we did, like cut and stack firewood in the winter, and bale and unload hay in the summer. It was heavy work, but I can’t think of a more meaningful way to grow up. We had responsibilities and purpose. Even as a kid I realized it was a privilege, and was thankful, to live on our beautiful farm with lots of space to play, work, and enjoy life.

Our cow barn was the heart of the farm. All six people in our family spent countless hours in there milking, feeding, bedding and brushing cows, sweeping and scraping the floors, along with washing udders, pipe lines, and the milk tank. That was in the lower level of the barn, while up in the hay mow there was lots of stacking, throwing, climbing, swinging, and sweating that went on.

While growing up all of our farming neighbors were living similar lives, milking 40-70 cows, and growing the hay and grain to feed them. Today some of those barns sit empty, one burned down, and a couple of them now house heifers while the largely expanded dairy herds on those farms are milked in new steel pole shed-style barns with a milking parlor. Currently my parents rent our barn to a younger couple who have a smaller herd and produce organic milk.

This brings us back to why old barns should be preserved: Because they don’t build ‘em like they used to! Steel pole barns are the new barns of the day, and most observers would probably agree that they just don’t exhibit the aesthetic qualities of the traditional wooden barn. Unfortunately, it’s too expensive for most people to build barns using timber frame construction. It’s another sad fact that next to no one knows how to build using that style today. So, beside the loss of a way of life, specific to a time period in Wisconsin and other states’ agricultural histories, is the loss of the skills it took to build a traditional barn, many without nails, and many peculiar to various European ethnic groups. Carpenters with knowledge of mortise and tenon joinery, and masons who can build a sturdy foundation with whatever local stone is available are few and far between nowadays!

As mentioned earlier, barns are still commonplace throughout Wisconsin and surrounding states, but as these already aged structures get even older many more will collapse due to neglect. I understand that it is expensive to maintain such a large building, but I think every effort should be made to do so, especially if a barn has unique architectural characteristics, such as the round barns of Vernon County in western Wisconsin, or the Swiss style bank barns with pent roofs so common in Green County, both of which can be seen in the barn on the left in my watercolor at the top of this page.

A few years back my parents made the investment in our barn to replace the shingled roof with a steel one. This should help it last for many years to come. I commend all barn owners who have realized the agri ‘cultural’ significance of these structures, and have made the effort to preserve them. To aid in this effort it would be nice to see at least a small portion of the billions of tourism dollars that come into this state each year allocated towards a barn preservation fund. Wisconsin’s barns and farmscapes are an iconic image that visitors associate with the state, and something they love and expect to see. It would be a shame to allow this important symbol of rural America to eventually disappear.

Our family dairy barn with God’s promise.

It seems our neighboring state of Iowa has recognized this problem and is making more of an effort to preserve their remaining barns. From the internet I found information on at least three different organizations dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and rebuilding of “American Heritage barns”: The Iowa Barn Foundation, Iowa Barn Savers, and Preservation Iowa. There is even a documentary that was released in 2017 by Moline, Iowa film-makers called “The Barn Raisers,” which pays tribute to Midwestern history by featuring the “folk architecture” know as the barn. (I can’t wait to see it, and am so glad I learned of it while doing a little bit of research on barn preservation while writing this post).

*Suggested Reading: “Barns of Wisconsin” by Jerry Apps

Blog Post #5 Wisconsin Series Catches a Trend

An Idea Realized

For a long while I had an idea to create a poster featuring my beautiful home state of Wisconsin, but with so much going on here, and an endless choice of subjects, I wasn’t sure where to begin. The project languished until a couple of years ago when I noticed the popularity of using state shapes in home decor items, on t-shirts, and on other graphic products. This realization pushed the project to the front burner. I knew the idea had the potential to appeal to a large audience, in this case the residents (past and present) of Wisconsin. People are naturally attracted to the familiar, so my plan was to add a unique element to the recognizable shape of Wisconsin.

My initial vision was to include an assortment of images representing popular characteristics of the state, but that seemed rather overwhelming. I finally decided to start with the basics and feature my tried and true subject of the Wisconsin farm. The resulting watercolor includes the iconic scene of a red barn, silo, and out-buildings, something that can be found throughout the state. In the sky I added my signature fluffy white clouds, and some attractive details in the foreground wildflowers.

Once I had made note cards featuring this image I was ready to share it with the public at my upcoming summer art fairs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that people really liked it, and many told me they were going to send the cards to out-of-state and overseas friends and family.

The positive reception encouraged me to expand on the idea by creating an entire series of Wisconsin themed watercolors. I started by making a list of what I thought the state is best known for. My second painting, called “Northwoods Escape,” features a cabin on a lake where a canoe and kayaker paddle the calm waters among the water lilies.

The third piece, “Wisconsin Ag,” returns to a farmland scene with grazing cows, but focuses on a variety of Wisconsin agricultural products displayed in the foreground, including dairy products, hops, ginseng, and more.

Number four is a view from up on a hilltop, and under an apple tree, of what could be either Lake Michigan or Superior, or even the Mississippi River. A monarch butterfly and wren have both alighted in the foreground wildflowers.

Number five is a fall scene at the edge of a birch and maple forest, where a rooster pheasant and buck deer stand amid golden ferns.

Unexpected Expansion

This set of five designs were a hit at my 2017 art fairs, where I sold them as note cards, individual 8×10 prints, and a poster that includes all five images. Nearly all of these shows were along the west-central edge of Wisconsin, and a couple were over the border into Minnesota. This led to quite a few Minnesotans asking if I had any images featuring their state. I didn’t, and, at first, I had no intention of veering away from my focus on the dairy state, but after multiple requests I decided it might be smart to venture beyond my original plan, and add a new state to my portfolio.

With my first holiday show coming up in mid-November, in Winona, Mn., I got busy on the first painting in this new Minnesota series. It features a ski sweater design painted with a knit pattern. The show was this past Saturday, and I was excited to find that people liked it! In fact, I sold all the cards from the first run of this design at the show.

Wisconsin: Phase 2

This fall I have also added a couple new designs to my Wisconsin collection, both of which are directed at a more specific audience, and feature a single motif rather than an outdoor scene. I created my sixth design in the series in preparation for a Scandinavian festival that I have been a vendor at for several years. This watercolor of Scandinavian Christmas hearts is embellished with some Norwegian rosemaling. It also was a sellout at this festival.

My latest addition features the state’s number one fruit crop – cranberries. I created note cards with this design for the Cranberry Discovery Center in Warrens, Wisconsin. These, along with the first five designs in the series, will be available in their gift shop.

Within the next couple of weeks I hope to add an eighth installment, which will be my Christmas card design for 2017. For updates on when it will be available please check out my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/scwatercolors or www.SharonChristensenArt.com.

To place an order just send me an email or message. Sets of any six cards are $10, plus postage. These include the text “Hello from Wisconsin.” Minnesota card available with text “Merry Christmas from Minnesota.” 8×10 prints (images/text as shown) are just $10, along with the 6×13 inch poster featuring all five outdoor scenes.

Blog Post #4 Birdhouse Gourds – From Beast to Beauty

Garden Update: Wow! It’s already nearing the end of July, it’s still raining all the time, and the garden is behind schedule. The zucchini and summer squash are beginning to multiple quickly but most everything else needs more time in the sun. Most plants are taking advantage of the warm and wet conditions and filling out nicely, but some, like the green beans and peppers look stunted. I think I will be able to gather just enough variety to go to my first farmers market tomorrow. I have to get rid of these zukes and squash somehow!

This shape of gourd (not sure of the official name) is perfect for use as an actual birdhouse or for an indoor decoration.

Art Focus – Decorating Gourds: As mentioned in my first blog post the garden takes up most of my days during the summer, leaving me little time to devote to making art. Recently, however, I’ve found a little time to get back to painting birdhouse gourds, so this post will actually be the first one concerning art rather than the garden.

I was excited to take advantage of the new workspace in my garden shed, so when the countertop wasn’t needed for potting and transplanting anymore, I cleaned it off and got out my paints and brushes. Before the fun painting part can begin though, the gourd has to be cleaned. A gourd that has been dried out after harvest (at least six months) can be pretty yucky looking. The easiest way to clean it up, I have found, is by soaking it for several hours. This loosens the dried on outer skin, which then comes off pretty easily with a scrubby sponge. After using some elbow grease you have a nice smooth wood-like surface to work on.

Long neck gourds ready to welcome a nesting wren family.

My family started growing various types of birdhouse gourds about fifteen years ago, ranging in shape from apples to swans. Even though I have used many of them over the years there are still several piles in the shed. This last summer I grew snake gourds….not a very appealing shape to some. Maybe they will look more attractive once painted in a way that has nothing to do with snakes.

Snake gourd vine climbing on last year’s garden fence.

People use and decorate gourds in all sorts of ways. I once saw a flat pumpkin-shaped one made into a backpack. I prefer to stick with the basics by either painting or wood-burning designs into them. Over the years my surface decoration hasn’t varied too greatly. Early on I mostly painted a branch and leaf design. Now my favorite decoration is a simplified version of rosemaling, which is a traditional Norwegian decorative painting technique. I was even able to teach myself how to make the curling lines with a wood-burning tool. I find that the dark burnt lines complement the natural brown tones of the gourd very nicely.

Apple gourds in back are painted and small bushel gourds in front (my favorite shape to use) are wood-burned.

When finished with the design I seal the entire gourd with a coat of varnish, wood stain, or waxy shoe polish. These bring out the warm wood tones of the gourd yet allow the paint colors or burned lines to show through. These sealants will preserve the gourd for many years if hanging outside as a birdhouse, and indefinitely if used for an indoor decoration.

If you are interested in purchasing one of my gourds you can see the current collection in a recent post on my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/scwatercolors. Once there click on the pictures and each gourd is assigned a number. Contact me for availability and prices.

Blog Post #3 Waiting to Plant

As much as I love warmer weather, I was in no rush for winter to be over. As long as it was too cold to grow anything outside I didn’t have to feel guilty staying in the house working on art stuff. Now as late May approaches there is an overwhelming sense to work outside getting those early vegetable seeds in the ground.

So far we’ve had a very wet and cool spring in west-central Wisconsin, which has kept me from getting into the garden as much as I would like. There were a few warm days in a row during which I barely managed to plant several rows of beets, carrots, and peas. I rushed to finish seeding a row of parsnips as the dark clouds and rain started to roll in over the hill. (Being down in a valley I don’t get much of a warning when a storm is coming). This was over a week ago now and I haven’t been able to get back in the garden since then due to the constant rainfall. I have 100 strawberry plants that have been waiting for a month now to get planted! The field is tilled and ready to go, except that it’s now mud.

The New Garden Shed

This year I have a new potting shed/garden storage/greenhouse to work in. It’s only 8‘x10’ but it holds basically all of my garden related stuff. Sage built it mostly from wood he milled himself. There are lots of shelves, large salvaged windows, and a work bench with a counter top section we found at the Habitat Restore. I have lots of seeds started in there but with the cool weather they’re not growing too fast.

Cold-frame with melons, lettuce, basil, and pumpkins.

Things in my outdoor cold frame stay a bit warmer than in the shed. The angle of the window on top is better at catching the sun (when it shines occasionally).

Weed Control

I am determined to stay ahead of the weeds this year. I just spent way too many precious hours last summer hoeing and pulling weeds over and over again, especially under the electric fence. To alleviate that problem I sliced off everything under it with a shovel and then laid down cardboard which I then topped with wood chips. I really hope this works. It looks good, and so far has withstood the torrential rains.

For weed control in the garden the plan is to lay down a thick layer of old hay over the entire planting area as soon as the ground is tilled, and then push it aside just enough to get my seeds and plants in the ground. I’m thinking this will be faster and easier than mulching around small plants. Last year the weeds had plenty of time to grow between tilling, planting, and mulching. They won’t have that chance this time around!

Now if the sun would just come out to dry and warm things up I could get busy…..Until then I guess I will be doing more indoor work…..hopefully some painting.

Blog Post #2 The Background Story

For my second blog post I thought I would tell you about my journey as an artist, and the events that lead me to where I am today.

I grew up on a southern Wisconsin dairy farm, where I learned to work hard, and to appreciate the fertile and picturesque landscape that surrounded me. For as long as I can remember artistic endeavors were what I excelled at, so there was no question as to what I would study after high school. I enjoyed my five years at college, and worked hard at it. The only problem was knowing what I would do with an art degree. My professors were rather silent on that subject and I had no clear goal in mind. I simply didn’t know what my options were. I just figured something would fall into my lap, and for awhile, fortunately, things kind of did.

Catalina

After earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1998 my first job was working as the summer art instructor at the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). It was awesome! I spent every day outside under a grove of huge eucalyptus trees with a view of the ocean leading 9-18 year olds in various arts and crafts projects. Southern California life (island style) was an entirely new adventure for me. I’d never even been in the ocean before so getting to experience things like sea kayaking, snorkeling, sailing on a tall ship, chumming for eels and Mola Molas was all an incredible new adventure.

I had no previous teaching experience nor an intention of going in that direction but one thing led to another…..

Astrocamp

The next fall I found myself working as a physical science/outdoor ed. instructor at CIMI’s sister facility, Astrocamp, located in the pine forests of southern California’s San Jacinto Mountains. It was another gorgeous location, and a wonderful time meeting new friends and learning things I’d never dreamed I would be teaching to others (an artist teaching astronomy!!) I had to learn fast.

In between these seasonal jobs I went back home and did a lot of substitute teaching. I was getting used to this classroom business.

Cruise Ships

My next adventure was working as a youth activities director aboard several different Holland America cruise ships, sailing in both the Caribbean and Southeast Alaska. I’d never been on a cruise before so, again, this was a whole new world to me. It was a lot of fun, and getting paid to travel while working was a great way to see the world.

Reality Sets In

Eventually I came to the point where I had outgrown this seasonal job lifestyle and felt that I needed to move on, but found myself back in that post-college-no-direction limbo. I decided to move with my sister (fresh out of the Peace Corp) to Minneapolis, hoping undiscovered opportunities awaited me there. No such luck. I ended up working three part-time jobs, earning just enough to pay the rent, but not enough money or time to explore what the city might have to offer. It didn’t take long to discover that city life was not at all to my liking. I had to get out of there! This feeling of desperation propelled me into serious thought about my next move.

After much contemplation I made the decision to return to school to get my teaching certification in K-12 art. That fall I was back in Wisconsin attending UW-River Falls. A little over a year later I was finished with my courses and student teaching requirement. In November of 2005, at age 30, I started my first “real job” at an elementary school in Racine, Wisconsin within view of Lake Michigan. It wan’t exactly the age group or location I was hoping for, but it provided stability. I was finally going to stay in one place for awhile, allowing me the time and space to make art. After awhile my portfolio started to grow enough for me to begin doing art fairs. I started by selling hand made note cards with images of my watercolors, which are still my biggest seller, and eventually added original paintings and art prints.

New Scenery

After teaching for ten years I was ready for a change. When the opportunity came along I jumped at the chance to leave my job and move to the other side of the state to the hills of the Driftless Region in western Wisconsin. I’m so happy to be back living in the country where I have room to plant my own garden, keep some animals, and live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. I’m also excited to have so much more time to dedicate to being a working artist. I feel a bit slow in coming to use the internet to share my art, but better late than never. I will try my best to make it a success, and I thank you for taking the time to follow along in my new life as a farmer artist.

The “Art & Garden Blog” Begins

April 13, 2017 • Growing a Life as Artist and Gardener

Hello and thank you so much for taking the time to be here reading this first blog post. I have been looking forward to getting started on this for awhile but didn’t want to begin blogging until my website was up and running. I’m so excited to be able to say that it can now be found at www.SharonChristensenArt.com. A huge thank you to my web designer friend, Maren, who got me to this point. I would still be lost without her help. Some things need tweaking, but it’s enough to get started and to set my online art business into motion.

A short introductory explanation: You may be wondering why I decided to call this “Art and Garden Blog.” Well, after living a full year and a half in my new home I’ve had time to settle in, and to get a feel for the rhythm of things. One of my main goals after moving back to the country, was to grow my own garden. I’m happy to say that I achieved this goal and have plans on continuing my adventures in growing as much as, or more than, I can handle. I wasn’t too surprised to discover that the garden took up pretty much all of my time. I was able to squeeze in the several art fairs that I’d signed up to be in on weekends during the summer, but found no time to actually make any new art.

It wasn’t until November that the garden finally quit and I was able to spend time in my studio, free of outside work demanding my attention. I could finally paint again! So it looks like this is how it’s gonna be: Spring and Summer = Gardening, and Winter and Fall = Art Making. I’m finding that they complement each other quite well, and I’m quite happy with this yearly schedule.

With this blog I hope to post updates on both topics, and share the stories and inspirations behind what I do, and have done. So if you’re interested please come back and join me in my art and garden adventures.

Thanks!