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Sharon Haney Art

Only the Noses Nose

Custom Pastel Portrait

It’s been quite a while since I painted a portrait, years actually, so I approached this commission with a bit of caution and a lot of worry.  I picked the best photo out of the pictures that were sent to me and started to draw. This particular photo was not a high-resolution photo so it was a bit difficult to actually see into it (you pastel artists will know what I mean). It was a picture of two beautiful little girls – both with smirky little grins on their faces and a tumble of arms and hair everywhere. I adjusted the drawing a bit so the arms didn’t lead off the edge and began painting. Well, I thought I had finished the painting only to discover the noses just didn’t look right. Too long I thought to myself? After struggling with redoing those noses over and over, I sent a photo of the painting for critique to a friend who is very good at painting portraits. Yep, her advice was about what I had thought it would be, but putting the advice in motion and getting it right was a different matter. I think I must have spent two more days on those noses and I still am not thrilled with them. Of course, along this journey I kept seeing other things I thought needed improvement, so I reworked the eyes, mouths and cheeks. It just never ended. I tried the look in the mirror trick, the squinting theory and still could not get it right. I had become another victim of the “never ending painting” everyone dreads. And now that I look at the finished product (really?) and the stages leading up to it, I think I liked it better in the beginning – except for those noses!  ….and maybe the eyebrows…..

The final, and I mean final, is above – two of the many many steps are below.

pastel portrait steps
Brad's Girls - SOLD

About Sharon Haney

Sharon happily lives in Alpine, Texas and paints inspired by her local West Texas surroundings and travel destinations. She studied watercolor and oil painting while living in England during the late 1980’s and that inspired her to begin painting seriously later in life. Once she discovered pastels in 2012 she was “hooked” on their luminosity, versatility and beauty. As reflected in her paintings, she loves color and paints primarily in vibrant pastels. Many of her watercolor, oil and pastel paintings now reside in numerous states as well as in the United Kingdom and St. Lucia.

Sharon is a member of the Big Bend Arts Council, the Pastel Society of America and the Pastel Society of Southeast Texas (past President). She is also a Signature Member of the National Society of Artists.

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Welcome!

Thank you for stopping by Shaney Art! My name is Sharon Haney and I'm a pastel artist in West Texas. I'm always happy to ship straight to you, if something catches your eye or create a custom commissioned piece of fine art for you.

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  • Sara Burnett

    Sara Burnett

    When I saw 'Fresh Catch' at the gallery in Alpine, Texas, I couldn't leave town without it! The colors were so vibrant and the scales of the fish looked iridescent. Plus, I couldn't believe how reasonable the prices were. Now 'Fresh Catch' is hanging on my wall at home and I just love it!

  • Susan Setliff

    Susan Setliff

    I bought an artwork from Shaney Art online and I was just so pleased with it when it arrived! I was worried living so far away that it wouldn't look as good as I imagined but it was even better than the images. Plus, it was packaged so well - nothing was amiss when it arrived here to Ohio.

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