Sheila Haas isn’t an artist by trade. She’s a lab manager at a medical facility in Lakeland and only has been painting for three years.
“I need to eat,” Haas said, jokingly.
What she lacks in experience, she more than makes up for in talent. Since picking up the paintbrush, she’s earned several awards, including Best of Show honors at the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival’s Fine Arts Show.
At the East Hillsborough Art Guild’s meeting May 6, outgoing president Mary Jane Wagner surprised the blooming artist with a framed print of her winning watercolor. The painting pictured a 1955 Chevy Bel Air.
“This is very nice,” Haas said. “I don’t even have a print of my own painting, so it is very nice.”
Titled “Reflections,” the painting had six interested buyers. It sold to a woman who lived in Longwood for $355. She wanted the painting to hang in her home office.
“It’s really nice, because people like it more than I like it,” Haas said. “I don’t know if it’s good until someone is interested in it.”
When Haas first started painting the car, she had no intentions of entering it into the show. In fact, she felt overwhelmed as an amateur.
“It was very detailed,” Haas said. “So, I broke it into sections.”
Haas was inspired by a picture of the car she found browsing online. It was a close-up on the front of the car, including the bumper. The bumper had a reflection in it, hence the title of the painting.
“I like old cars, but I didn’t really know anything about them,” Haas said. “I just saw that wide bumper with the reflection and wanted to try it.”
It took her about three months to complete it. And although the detail made it difficult, Haas finds herself drawn to doing detailed work.
“I love the look of watercolor,” Haas said. “I can’t paint the loose look. I’m very detail-oriented.”
Haas had grown up drawing through her schooling in Tampa. As a child, she didn’t know she had a talent for it. But her art teachers encouraged her to keep drawing. After school, Haas quit drawing. There was a long gap before she picked up a pencil again. It was because she was inspired to try painting.
“I had to go out and buy paper and pencils,” Haas said. “I didn’t have anything. It was like starting over.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
