The last two days have been beautiful. It has been sunny and warmer– in the 50’s. We get excited about that. The snow is gone, the lawns are greening up, it is finally feeling like spring. I spent several hours outside two days ago, which included cutting back my plants and filling up a yard waste can. I just couldn’t go back inside, so set up a chair on my front porch to watch the world go by.
I like my neighbor’s corner across the street. They have a large pine tree and a rock border. My front windows look out toward their house and yard and I have observed that corner for years, rain or shine, snow or heat. In my oil painting phase, I chose a frigid day to sit inside my family room looking out toward the street. I set up my paints and did a painting while observing the purple shadow of the snow drifts. The red fire hydrant always stands out in this scene.
There are other houses that go around the bend in the road, but for simplicity’s sake, I kept them out. My focus was the shadows.
Fast-forward to a couple days ago. I sat on the front porch and sketched a different scene. My neighbor’s daughter was out skate boarding down this very street, so I sketched the street, the rock border, the majestic pine tree, and of course, the red hydrant. It reminded me of summer time. Kids down the street were outside playing, people were out walking, and I’d hear an occasional bird chirping or dog barking. It was peaceful and I enjoyed sketching it!
