Raven and Bowl of Cherries Painting

 

Copyright 2026 by Sheryl Karas

A funny thing happened the same week as the show at MONCA I wrote about in my last blog post. I suddenly decided to change direction with my artwork, at least for now.

I recently retired from my full-time job. That was unexpected—my choice but a year or two earlier than I planned. But things changed there, I wasn't willing to go along with those changes, and now here I am a "free bird." It's been a bit of a shock, but little bit by little bit I realized that I'm going to be alright. So now the thought is "what am I going to do with my life?" now that I have time and I'm no longer working like crazy to "make a living." 

I also don't need to please art teachers or art critics or nose-in-the-air level art galleries. I don't even have to get into museum shows (even though that has been nice). So what kind of art do I want to do? What kind of art do I want to live with? And the answer that came pretty much immediately was fun whimsical stuff that makes me smile. 

If I think about it, that is the kind of art that made me want to be an artist—the art I would see in my favorite children's books. I'm not sure I can let myself get that kid-friendly today but it doesn't matter. I liked things that were bright and colorful and that made me laugh or smile. The same thing is true today! So why not go there? Life could be a bowl of cherries, right?

The original for this is the smallest painting I have ever done as an adult— 8"x8" on canvas. I like it that size. It's very accessible and I don't have to worry about where it will fit in my house. I might sell it—you can ask. Or you can get a print, framed print, or print on canvas at Fine Art America.

Actually, the original of this was gifted so it's no longer available.

Raven Dreams of a Brighter Tomorrow

 

I know that I improvise using this bird on a rail a lot. I relate to this bird looking out into the horizon. I want to know what he or she thinks about or dreams of flying off to do. This is multi-layer digital collage combining several images in unusual ways.

Prints and prints on various surfaces are available on FineArt America.

Bird Abstract Botanical

 

This is the same series as the last two posts. I used the same images I used in the first two but layered them in different ways, and then put a bird on it just for fun.

Prints and prints on various surfaces are available on Fine Art America.

Raven On My Back Fence

Another "Raven Interlude." I'm enjoying finding out what I can do with wallpaper samples and other decorative and hand-painted papers I recently scanned into my computer. This would probably be called a digital collage. It's made with multiple layers and multiple layering effects.

You can find prints and prints on multiple surfaces on Fine Art America.

Raven at the Beach

 

The "Raven Interludes" continue. This series is allowing me to explore new ways to combine digital with painting-like effects. I recently scanned a large collection of handpainted paper, wallpaper, and other decorative papers of all sorts that I have been collecting for 20-30 years. I used to use them in cut-paper quilts but now I'd like to collage them into paintings, at least digitally. This is one of my first forays into this kind of work. It's fun for me to see the handpaints in the bird's feathers and in the fence rail. The background combines multiple photographs with digital painting effects. 

Prints and prints on canvas and other materials are available on Fine Art America.