Art Classics, Sharon Lee Hudson

Irises, by Vincent van Gogh, 1890

I’m a New York City gal- born and raised.  Although I haven’t lived there for many years, the experiences I had continue to influence my life.

In my frustration over the years, there were times that I just sat…thinking and thinking about the museums of New York City…missing them, longing for them…wanting to go to them, but I felt that all I could do was daydream.

I was lucky enough to have a mother who introduced me to a variety of interesting things while I was growing up in New York City.  On weekends, my family went to all kinds of delightful places.  Museums were my favorite.  When I got older, I studied art-history in New York City.  And believe me, if you are going to study art-history at an American school, a college in New York City really is the way to go.

Being from New York City, I expect certain things when I visit museums in other cities, which can lead to strong feelings of disappointment.  On the other hand, I have been in small areas that had really good museums.  Where I am now, day to day living can be very hard for a former New Yorker.  Viewing spectacular art from centuries ago, doing exciting things, visiting great night clubs…so many things are gone from my life now.  Enter the Internet.  The Internet is a wonderful, wonderful way to see spectacular pieces of art, some even going back to the Middle Ages.  It’s just another way that the Internet has increased my quality of life.  It’s not like viewing art in terrific museums in New York City, but until I can get back there, it will do.

Recently, I’ve brought art into my life in a different way.  I’m delighted to have reopened my art classics shop.  I only use art that comes from the public domain...and which comes from original sources...and that comes with permission.  Additionally, I have various laws to consider.  Therefore, I cannot display all the artwork on merchandise that I want to.  Still, this tiny shop is nice.  Some of the digital files (artwork) are visually displayed the way I received them.  Other digital files were changed in some way for various reasons:  the artwork had to be resized, the artwork had to be enhanced so that viewers could see it on merchandise better…etc.  But the works are still recognizable…and wonderful.

Irises, shown above, is one of my favorites by Vincent van Gogh.  This work can be found at the shop on multiple products in the Dutch and Flemish Artists collection.  Enjoy.  More products will be added in the future.

Yellow on My Mind

When I think about several of the nice, personal experiences that I've had, a few colors come to mind.  Yellow is the most prominent one.  Yellow is not my favorite color.  Yet, I adore it.  Memories of the sunflowers that grew in the field near my home about 40 years ago, the pretty sundress I loved and wore about 40 years ago, and my mom's delicious cakes of which I haven't had in over 30 years often pop up in my mind as I go through my life.  A yellow cake with chocolate frosting is something we often had for birthdays when I was growing up.  To this day, every time I have a slice, I compare it to my mom's. These memories are not that vivid, yet there is a strong, strong longing to go back in time to meet them. Does the color yellow have anything to do with this?

Writer and executive Roopashree Sharma wrote the following:  "Yellow color is associated with sunshine, hope, laughter, warmth, happiness, and energy" (Jagran Josh, 2002).  In her article, Braam writes that "cheerful yellow tones uplift moods and self esteem" (Color Psychology, 2024).  

Can bringing more yellow into your life improve it?  That's for each person to decide.  As with other colors, yellow is associated with both positive and negative things (i.e., Cherry, 2022; Cherry 2023; Cherry 2024).  Even if the use of yellow brings about positive feelings within a person, one can go too far when it comes to the use of yellow.  According to educator Kendra Cherry (2023), negative feelings can arise if one goes overboard using the color yellow. Therefore, if you are going to bring yellow into your life, be careful not to over do it.  I imagine the same can be said for any color, or anything good, since too much of a good thing can yield negative results.

Currently, I have no yellow clothes.  There's no field of sunflowers in my life, except for in my dreams and pics on the Internet.  I have very, very little yellow in my life.  But I want to change that, and I will.  Until then, at night, when things are quiet and calm and I'm alone, I'll go back to the days of sunflowers and yellow cake...and smile. 

Note:  This writing was original published as an article on 4/7/2024, under the old blog.  Today, I republished it as an entry.  Other articles close to this one have been written by me about the color yellow.  Those articles no longer exist on the Internet, so I recreated one.  Yellow continues to be an important color in my life as I continue to tap into my feel-good memories as I go through life.

Photo by Todd Kent; courtesy of Unsplash.

Sources:

.  Braam, H. V. (Feb 15, 2024).  Yellow Color Psychology, Symbolism and Meaning.  Color Psychology. https://www.colorpsychology.org/yellow/

.  Cherry, K., (Feb. 20, 2024).  The Color Blue:  Meaning and Color Psychology:  Feeling Blue Might not be Such a Bad Thing.  VeryWell Mind.  https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-blue-2795815

.   Cherry, K., (April 22, 2024).  The Meaning of the Color White:  Color Psychology of White.  VeryWell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-white-2795822

.  Cherry, K., ( Nov. 27, 2023).  The Psychology of the Color Yellow:  What Emotion Does Yellow Represent."  VeryWill Mind.  https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-yellow-2795823

.  Sharma, R. ( Aug. 3, 2022  ).  Color Psychology:  How Yellow Color Effects Your Mood?  Jagran Josh.  https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/color-psychology-how-yellow-color-affects-your-mood-1659179769-11

.  VeryWell Mind (n.d.).  Kendra Cherry, MsEd:  Author, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist,  Edcuator.   https://www.verywellmind.com/kendra-cherry-2794702

Darling Snowpeople in Love

When I lived in New York City, winter was always a magical time for me. I never worried about slipping and falling, even when I did slip and fall. I adored...adored the spectacular decorations of Manhattan:  on the streets, in the stores, and in the office building lobbies.  I loved the magic of the Christmas trees and the classic holiday music that accompanied them in the Parkchester section of the Bronx. Wintertime was just so awesome, I never saw or experienced anything else like it, no matter where I went.

Added to all the magic of the city was my dear mother- someone who cautioned us every year when we were children about the fact that we weren't going to get a lot of gifts. But every year there were tons of presents for us under the tree.  There were thinking games, fun toys, clothes, and more.  There was a nice Christmas breakfast and a spectacular Christmas dinner.  Christmas was simply magical.

Even when I moved upstate, I was able to find some magic by viewing the decorated porches of people's houses.  Just viewing them for a few minutes on a walk one very dark and cold winter's night stayed with me years after I left New York state.

But all of that was before the physical disabilities- before the aches, and the pains, and the intense fear of falling on ice.  In areas where holidays come and go in a whisper, it's up to me to bring a tiny bit of magic to my household, which I try to do with decorations and the Internet.  Through the Internet, I can transport myself to an area that really does Christmas up fine!  Fun art is another way to bring a little magic into the house.  Some of it I've even put on products and I now present them at my winter and Christmas shop.

One of my favorite designs is called Darling Snowpeople in Love.  I think it's a delightful drawing that brings the magic of Christmas- even to places were there are none.  I love it.

Darling Snowpeople in Love (screenshot)

Customizable Glass Ornament

Location:  Always December, by Hudson (on Zazzle)

Collection:  Snowpeople; (c) Sharon Lee Hudson

I adore this design. It makes me feel a little better about not being in New York City during Christmastime. This design can be found on a variety of items. Some are at the main shop.  However, those same items and many more are found at Always December, by Hudson, the company's winter and Christmas shop.

Christmas will never be the same for me. I'll probably never experience those magical winter days that I experienced in childhood ever again.  So, I will hold onto the memories and I will keep creating.  

Have a wonderful Christmas!

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Christmas Tree Photo:  Credit to Hert Niks on Unsplash.

Notes: 

.   Always December by Hudson is the company's 24/7 winter and Christmas shop.  You can reach the entrance by clicking here.  You can reach the ornament and stocking collection by clicking here.

. The ornament has a watermark on it for the purpose of this blog.

05/27/2024 The Anniversary of the Idea

 On May 25, 2024, the company had a five year anniversary.  The anniversary wasn't how long it has been in existence.  Instead, it was the anniversary of when the idea of the company came to be.  Five years ago, on my birthday, I decided to start the company- the company that changed my life.  Learn more about this from the birthday video on the company's YouTube channel.