Diana Johnson Fine Art

A MidWinters Night Dream Art Exhibit

2012-01-17T04:32:00.000-08:00

Please join us for the opening of this group show at the Chocolate Church Art Gallery in Bath, Maine. The reception is January 20th from 5-7. I have a series of winter paintings in the show.

Group Show

2011-05-06T04:21:00.000-07:00

Group show called "Impressions of Summer". Please join us at the reception May 7 from 4 to 7 at the Yarmouth Frame Shop and Gallery on Route One in Yarmouth. My contribution to the show will be a few of my "August Painting Challenge" oils like the one posted here.

Group Show

2011-04-27T04:03:00.000-07:00

Please join us at the opening of a group show called "Painting In, Painting Out". Exhibitors are: Kathleen Daughan, Elizabeth Fraser, Caren-Marie Michel, and Diana Johnson. We will be showing recent work. My contribution to the show will be paintings of flowers. The reception is Friday, May 6 from 3-5 at Lucid Stage in Portland.

Primrose

2011-03-11T03:56:00.000-08:00

Since it is a rainy day I am posting a painting that I did of brightly colored primrose. I purchased a German Primrose plant at Estabrooks and worked on a close-up focus of a few blossoms and a bit of foliage.

Quote for this post ... by William Wordsworth 1770 - 1850

"Primroses, the Spring may love them; summer knows but little of them."

Pears in the Sun

2011-03-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

It was great to have sun all day yesterday. I painted three pears.

Quote for this post ... by Saint Francis of Assisi 1181 - 1126

"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows."

Painting Challenge - Color

2011-03-07T03:45:00.000-08:00

After a long white winter I am looking for colorful subjects to paint. I am spending the month of March completing as many fruit, flower, and veggie paintings as possible. The grocery store had a great sale last week on red, orange, and yellow peppers so I painted peppers!

Quote for this post ... by Eugene Delacroix 1798 - 1863

"Everybody knows that yellow, orange, and red induce and represent ideas of joy and riches".

Winter Evening

2011-02-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Snow, snow, and more snow ... so this post includes another snow painting. I like to walk by this view in Yarmouth to catch sight of the sunset - when it isn't snowing!

Quote for this post ... by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 - 1882

"Not less excellent, except for our less susceptibility in the afternoon, was the charm, last evening, of a January sunset ... the air had so much life and sweetness, that it was a pain to come within doors".

After the Snow Storm

2011-01-27T04:07:00.000-08:00

Even though it is still snowing this morning I want to post my winter painting called, "After the Snow Storm". This painting was inspired by the sunset after one of the first storms of the season. It is also in my "Looking Up" exhibit in Yarmouth.

Quote for this post... by Plautus - c. 254 BC - 184 BC

"The day, water, sun, moon, night - I do not have to purchase these things with money."

"Looking Up" Exhibit

2011-01-21T04:21:00.000-08:00

I was given the opportunity to exhibit some work this month so decided to display my recent "sky paintings". There are even some winter images inspired by the first few storms of the season. If you are in Yarmouth please check it out at the library. The show is called, "Looking Up...a focus on skies". There are 16 paintings in the series at Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth 846-4763. I will try to post more of the winter ones in the next few weeks. The image posted here is called, "Hill-side Farm". The barn and house looked so rooted on the hill-side...like they had been there for a very long time.

Quote for this post....by Rachel Carson 1907 - 1964

"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."

Sky - Painting Challenge - 6

2010-12-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

This is my last "sky" post for a while. I may continue in January. This stream is a few miles north of Kokadjo, Maine. The mountain in the distance is Spencer mountain. A late afternoon storm was passing by.

Quote for this post...by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 - 1882

"The river, as it flows, resembles the air that flows over it; the air resembles the light which traverses it with more subtle currents; the light resembles the heat which rides with it through space."

Sky - Painting Challenge - 5

2010-12-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

My current painting challenge is to include more sky in my works. Usually I focus on the land. This meadow is in Falmouth at Gilsland Farm. This is one of my favorite places to walk in the late afternoon. I saw a fox on the trail while I was there.

Quote for this post...by John Muir - 1838 - 1914

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in".

Sky - Painting Challenge - 4

2010-11-29T04:39:00.000-08:00

My current painting challenge is to include more sky in my works. Usually I focus on the land. This pine tree stands in one of the meadows at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. I liked the way it was silhouetted against the sky.

Quote for this post...Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 - 1882

"A single object is only so far beautiful as it suggests this universal grace."

Sky - Painting Challenge - 3

2010-11-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

My current painting challenge is to include more sky in my works. Usually I focus on the land. I saw this marsh in Yarmouth on the first day of November. Just a few days later all the leaves had fallen off the trees. I liked the red leaves against the blue-violet clouds.

Quote for this post...by Albert Camus - 1913 - 1960

"Autumn is a second Spring when every leaf is a flower."

Sky - Painting Challenge - 2

2010-11-14T04:56:00.000-08:00

My current painting challenge is to include more sky in my works. Usually I focus on the land. In August I was re-introduced to Scarborough Marsh while at a PPOM paint-out. Since then I've returned to see the marsh in the Fall months. This painting was inspired by the leaning tree. It was late afternoon in October.

Quote for this post….by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – 1807 - 1882

“I hear the wind among the trees
Playing the celestial symphonies;
I see the branches downward bent,
Like keys of some great instrument.”

Sky - Painting Challenge - 1

2010-11-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

My current painting challenge is to include more sky in my landscapes. Usually I focus on the land. A few months ago I learned about a great place to paint. It is called Parsons Beach in Kennebunk. This painting was inspired by the driftwood at the edge of the beach. It was late afternoon in October.

Quote for this post….by Joan Didion – Born in 1934

“The wind shows us how close to the edge we are.”

Majesty of Trees Exhibit

2010-10-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

This pastel painting is in a show called "Majesty of Trees". The exhibit opens in Yarmouth on October 12 with an opening reception on October 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Merrill Memorial Library. Another Yarmouth tree celebration is the "Herbie Project". Herbie was a 217 year old elm tree that lived in Yarmouth until recently. Read about Herbie at: www.yarmouthcommunityservices.org/herbie

Quote for this post….by John Muir – 1838 - 1914

“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.”

Black Frame Art Sale

2010-10-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

This painting is available at the Black Frame Art Sale on Friday, October 8th. For one evening 10"x 10" framed paintings, from lots of Maine painters, sell for just $200. The proceeds benefit Portland's Bayside community activities, events, and children's programs. www.blackframeartsale.com

Quote for this post….by Henry David Thoreau 1817 – 1862

“October is the month of painted leaves.”

Homegrown Exhibit

2010-09-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

This painting is on exhibit at Skyline Farm from September 25 – December 4. Skyline Farm is having a benefit sale of fine art and crafts “inspired by Maine’s natural state”. The show is complemented by carriages and sleighs from Skyline Farm Carriage Museum’s collection. The farm is in North Yarmouth and is well worth visiting. www.skylinefarm.org

Quote for this post….by Alfred Sisley 1839 - 1899

“Every picture shows a spot with which the artist himself has fallen in love.”

September on Monhegan Island

2010-09-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

We returned today from a fun trip to Monhegan Island. I want to share this photo of the Monhegan School. Notice the dog sitting patiently by the door. I am quite sure the dog sat there the whole time that school was in session. There is a dog house to the right of the school. I hope to post some September paintings of Monhegan soon.

Quote for this post….by E.B. White 1899 - 1985

“I can still see my first dog. For six years he met me at the same place after school and convoyed me home – a service he thought up himself.”

August Painting Challenge - 20

2010-08-31T14:01:00.001-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #20 of my August painting challenge. The location is a river in Limington. I was there on August 11. This painting was done today in my studio. It is the last in my series of 4”x6” paintings for this month.

Quote for this post….by Pablo Picasso – 1881 - 1973

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”

August Painting Challenge - 19

2010-08-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #19 of my August painting challenge. The location is a pond in Harpswell. I was there earlier this month in the late afternoon. This painting was done today in my studio. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Rachel Carson 1907 - 1964

“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

August Painting Challenge - 18

2010-08-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #18 of my August painting challenge. The location is Scarborough Marsh. I was there on August 18th. This painting was done today in my studio. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Rachel Carson 1907 - 1964

“The shore is an ancient world, for as long as there has been an earth and sea there has been this place of the meeting of land and water.”

August Painting Challenge -17

2010-08-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #17 of my August painting challenge. The location is Littlejohn Island Preserve in Yarmouth. The clouds were rolling in on the day I was there, earlier this month. This painting was done today in my studio. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Anais Nin 1903 - 1977

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.”

August Painting Challenge - 16

2010-08-30T05:53:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #16 of my August painting challenge. The location is Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. This tree is a favorite of mine. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by John Muir – 1838 - 1914

“I never saw a discontented tree; they grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.”

August Painting Challenge - 15

2010-08-29T05:09:00.001-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #15 of my August painting challenge. The location is at the end of Old Town Landing Road in Yarmouth. I spent an afternoon there more than a week ago. I am just getting around to posting the painting. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Annie Dillard - Born in 1945

“Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.”

August Painting Challenge - 14

2010-08-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #14 of my August painting challenge. The location is Parsons Beach Marsh in Kennebunk. I was there earlier this month and it was a very windy afternoon. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Poem for this post….by A.A. Milne 1882 - 1956

No one can tell me,
Nobody knows,
Where the wind comes from,
Where the wind goes.

August Painting Challenge - 13

2010-08-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #13 of my August painting challenge. The location is Freeport. This farm is one of my all time favorite scenes to paint. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

This farm reminds me of the book called, Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn The Connected Farm Buildings of New England by Thomas C. Hubka.

August Painting Challenge - 12

2010-08-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #12 of my August painting challenge. The location is Scarborough Marsh. A group of trees seemed to reach over the water. I painted here with friends on Wednesday. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Alice Walker - Born in 1944

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”

August Painting Challenge - 11

2010-08-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #11 of my August painting challenge. The location is Route 123 in Harpswell. This road has so many beautiful views. I look forward to seeing this meadow when I drive on Route 123. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Aristotle 384 -322 B.C.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

August Painting Challenge - 10

2010-08-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #10 of my August painting challenge. The location is Maquoit Bay in Brunswick. This is away from the shore but you can see the water in the estuary. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“The succession of native plants in the pastures and roadsides, which makes the silent clock by which time tells the summer hours, will make even the divisions of the day sensible to a keen observer.”

August Painting Challenge - 9

2010-08-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #9 of my August painting challenge. The location is Maquoit Bay in Brunswick. Along with Goldenrod plants there were some Queen Anne’s Lace near the cove. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….from The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers

“Wild carrot [Queen Anne’s Lace] is considered a troublesome weed. It was the ancestor of the garden carrot, and its long, first-year taproot can be cooked and eaten.”

August Painting Challenge - 8

2010-08-16T15:45:00.001-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #8 of my August painting challenge. The location is Maquoit Bay in Brunswick. There was a beautiful stand of Goldenrod near the cove. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….from The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers

“This highly variable Goldenrod [rough-stemmed] can form large masses in fields that were once cultivated. Physicians in ancient times believed that Goldenrod had healing powers; in recent times these plants have been popularly blamed for causing hay fever, but its irritating symptoms are actually caused by Ragweed, whose pollen is abundant when Goldenrod is in flower.”

August Painting Challenge - 7

2010-08-14T16:34:00.001-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #7 of my August painting challenge. The location is on the Royal River in Yarmouth. I painted at the river’s edge with friends on Thursday. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough.”

August Painting Challenge - 6

2010-08-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #6 of my August painting challenge. The location is in Harpswell. To see this view of Long Reach you have to find the little church on Route 24 and go behind the building. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Celia Thaxter 1835 – 1894

“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.”

August Painting Challenge -5

2010-08-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #5 of my August painting challenge. The location is Parsons Beach marsh. I painted it yesterday in the studio. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“Nature wears the colors of the spirit.”

August Painting Challenge -4

2010-08-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #4 of my August painting challenge. The location is at the causeway between Cousins Island and Littlejohn Island. I like seeing the narrow channel at low tide. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post…by Heraclitus 6th century B.C; translated by Brooks Haxton. Haxton’s book is called Fragments.

“The earth is melted into the sea by that same reckoning whereby the sea sinks into the earth.”

August Painting Challenge -3

2010-08-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #3 of my August painting challenge. The location is Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. The weather Tuesday was “iffy” with sun for a minute then mostly overcast. I started to paint the garden then turned around and painted the goldenrod in the meadow. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same.”

August Painting Challenge -2

2010-08-03T04:38:00.001-07:00

Fresh off the easel! This is painting #2 of my August painting challenge. The location is Littlejohn Island Preserve. I never saw any people the entire time that I was on the Island. It was a very quiet and peaceful morning. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post…by Heraclitus 6th century B.C; translated by Brooks Haxton. Haxton’s book is called Fragments.

“Silence, healing.”

August Painting Challenge -1

2010-08-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the easel! My August painting challenge is inspired by friends on Facebook who are creating as many paintings as possible throughout the month of August. This is painting #1 of my August painting challenge. The location is Parsons Beach Marsh. The sun was bright and the breeze warm. My goal is to finish at least 20 paintings in August. Some will be painted on location and others in my studio. All will be oil on panel and measure 4”x6”.

Quote for this post…by Heraclitus 6th century B.C; translated by Brooks Haxton. Haxton’s book is called Fragments.

“The sun, timekeeper of the day and season, oversees all things.”

Bright Morning Light

2010-07-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

This painting just arrived home after spending some time in Cape Cod at a juried pastel show. The inspiration for this painting came from getting up very early while staying on Monhegan Island. I am a big fan of early morning light. Just beyond the barn is the ocean.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“I see the spectacle of morning from the hill-top over against my house, from daybreak to sunrise. The long slender bars of clouds float like fishes in the sea of crimson light. From the earth, as a shore, I look out into that silent sea.”

Pond in Spring

2010-06-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

This pastel painting is of a pond in Pownal called “Runaround Pond”. It is a very peaceful place… great for picnics, painting, and pickerel-weed!

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“In July, the blue pontederia or pickerel-weed blooms in large beds in the shallow parts of our pleasant river, and swarms with yellow butterflies in continual motion. Art can not rival this pomp of purple and gold. Indeed the river is a perpetual gala, and boasts each month a new adornment.”

Glimpse of Gold

2010-06-13T16:23:00.001-07:00

I saw this pond on the Greenville Road north of Kokadjo, Maine. We were traveling back to Greenville after a September day in Baxter State Park. The pond was so remote and peaceful. This pastel painting is on exhibit at the Arts Center in Old Forge, New York. It is in the Sixth Annual Northeast National Pastel Exhibition from June 12 - July 10.

Quote for this post….by Henry David Thoreau 1817 – 1862

“A field of water betrays the spirit that is in the air. It is continually receiving new life and motion from above. It is intermediate in its nature between land and sky.”

Cloud Reflections

2010-06-07T17:22:00.001-07:00

This view of a river in Freeport is one of my favorite places to paint. This is a pastel painting on paper.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“Who looks upon a river in a meditative hour, and is not reminded of the flux of all things? Throw a stone into the stream, and the circles that propagate themselves are the beautiful type of all influence.”

Meadow in Spring

2010-05-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

Every year I look forward to the new, bright green grasses of spring. A nearby wooded area reveals a glimpse of the meadow beyond. This is a pastel painting on paper.

Quote for this post….by Wassily Kandinsky 1866 – 1944

“In general, therefore, color is a means of exerting a direct influence upon the soul. Color is the keyboard. The eye is the hammer. The soul is the piano, with its many strings.”

Meadow Mist

2010-05-23T04:49:00.000-07:00

Being a foggy, misty morning today I am posting my pastel painting titled: “Meadow Mist”. On a visit to Monhegan Island one year I saw this apple tree in blossom. The sky was full of moisture and it did end up raining all day.

Quote for this post….by Henry David Thoreau 1817 – 1862

“I find it good to be out this still, dark, mizzling afternoon; my walk or voyage is more suggestive and profitable than in bright weather. The view is contracted by the misty rain, the water is perfectly smooth, and the stillness is favorable to reflection.”

First post

2010-05-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Being my first post I will write about my “profile” picture. This marsh is one of my favorite places. Morning, noon, or night I can find something to catch my interest. One late afternoon the sun illuminated one area on the marsh. The painting is done with pastels on paper.

Quote for this post….by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882

“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before and which shall never be seen again.”