Big Sky Series

"Sunrise Over Dornoch", 30" x 40", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

One of the artists whom I have admired is John H. Twachtman. Many of his paintings are very subtle with little contrast in them, but they have a soft beauty I have always been drawn to.

After our trip this summer to Scotland, I painted three large sky-scapes. This one was done in very pale colors with little contrast. This painting has lots of subtle variations in color, a hint of wheeling sea birds in the sky and a glimpse of the ocean through the dune grasses. I want an air of mystery in my paintings. I love to hint at things, leaving just a suggestion, letting the viewers imagination supply the rest.

Setting Sun

"Setting Sun", 30" x 40", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston


The fall colors just kept deepening and intensifying. This past weekend the sugar maples were glorious. Driving along Mt. Anthony Road I felt I was in a tunnel of color, a magical experience. Already the colors are beginning to fade and winds are blowing the leaves off the trees. Today the air is full of swirling leaves. I'm always amazed at how quickly the colors peak and then begin to fade.

It's the same with sunsets. One moment the sky is infused with intense color, mesmerizing me, and the next it is all draining away as evening comes on. I wonder, was it really as intense as I remember. And so I head into my studio to capture the memory on canvas .

Edge of My Field

There are still lots of sugar maples that haven't begun to turn color yet, but already we have had some beauties. I love how the air becomes infused with color at this time of year. The top corner of my field is lined with sugar maples, and they are glowing. I just want to step into the woods below them and be bathed in that light.

Columbus Day Weekend

It's looking like this weekend we are going to have beautiful warm weather, perfect for the Lenox Autumn Art Festival. I am planning to be working on a 18" x 24" landscape, about the largest I feel comfortable painting outdoors. Hopefully there will be no strong gusts of wind, and the sun won't be too strong. Here it is already October but we are continuing to have summer weather.

I will be set up at 71 Church Street in front of Firefly Restaurant.

In addition to painting, I will be displaying 18 small original oil paintings including some miniatures, as well as my giclée reproductions of "Tangerine Dream" and "Sapphire Dreams", both in the larger 22" x 29" size on canvas, and the smaller 9" x 13" on watercolor paper. I will be bringing both framed and unframed giclées.