Painting Neighborhood Scenes

 Painting Neighborhood Scenes

Photo of squash from my neighbor's garden.

One of my neighbors has a big garden. He sets up a cooler filled with free veggies once and a while during the summer. This week's bounty was squash. The cooler happens to be in the shade of a stand of birch trees. Being a fan of birches I decided to paint them.

"Dancing with the Sun"   pastel   14" x 14"    Diana Johnson

I stayed close to home this week which go me to thinking about how often I find inspiration for paintings right in my own neighborhood. I am only showing two today but, believe me, there are lots more. Across from the garden there is a home with some beautiful trees. Seeing the trees silhouetted against a stormy sky was too good to pass up. This pastel painting is in my Etsy Shop.

"Light Through the Clouds"   pastel

Last year during the pandemic shut-down I took a walk each day in my neighborhood. From March 16, 2020 to May 8, 2020 I documented each of those 54 days by taking a photo and writing a Haiku about something I noticed while walking. My goal was to calm my anxious mind by giving it something to do. Here is one example:

By the beginning of May the air was warmer and flowers were blooming and I felt a sense of calm. I didn't feel the need to continue my project. May 8th was my last Pic/Haiku. 

I will leave this post with a quote by Henry David Thoreau:

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth."