Moving Towards Abstraction

"Tall Vase", 40" x 30", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

I'm very excited about a new series of paintings I've been working on. These are large vertical pieces, full of rich vibrant color and lots of energy.

Opening Reception, Saturday September 18th, 5-8pm

"Autumn Fields", 16" x 16", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston


Please join us for the opening reception Saturday, September 18th from 5-8pm at the Bennington Arts Guild. The exhibit will run from September 18th until October 11th. I will be showing pieces from my "Sky Sonata" series as well as some of my flower paintings.

Each month the Bennington Arts Guild invites two artists to exhibit in their guest gallery. I will be showing my oil paintings along with potter, Ray Bub, who will be exhibiting his ceramic art. For more information about the Lydia Johnston - Ray Bub exhibition, please visit Guest Gallery Opening.


"The Old Barn", 20" x 30", oil on canvas

The Bennington Arts Guild Gallery is located at 103 South Street at the Four Corners intersection of Downtown Bennington. It is a cooperative gallery run by artists from Bennington and the surrounding communities, open daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For more information call 802-442-7838 or visit Bennington Arts Guild.

Meet the Artist Reception

Please join us for a Meet the Artist Reception on Saturday August 21st from 1 - 5pm. The reception will be held at the Lenox Gallery of Fine Art, 69 Church Street in Lenox, MA. Light refreshments will be served.


"Dreaming of Flowers V", 20" x 16", oil on canvas

Some of my newest meadow paintings will be on view, many in my ongoing "Gem series", as well as a new group of smaller paintings, "Dreaming of Flowers". These paintings are filled with a profusion of flowers, full of rich, vibrant colors.

Lydia Johnston's Open Studio Tour

Come visit my art studio as part of a House Tour in Pownal, Vermont. The goal of the tour is to demonstrate how energy technology has influenced architectural design through the ages. There will be five houses on the tour, the oldest from 1740, with a central chimney/vertical thermal mass, to the most recent, a highly insulated thermal mass house built in 2009. My house is an energy efficient ferrocement dome house, off the grid with a photovoltaic electric system.

The tour will take place Saturday, June 26th, from 11am to 4pm. The tour begins at The Studio Club Artworks, 3301 Rte 7 in Pownal Center, where you can pick up a map to locate the five houses. The tour is free. There is a brief video to view about the homes on the tour. Two of the homes demonstrate alternative energy methods using solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, and thermal mass. The five houses showcased are as follows:

Moore/Wright Defoe House, 1740

Quarry Hill Farm House, 1820

Victorian House, 1890

Dome House, 1985

Jordan Schell-Lambert House, 2009

In conjunction with participating in the house tour, I will be opening my art studio as part of the tour. This is your opportunity to see the beautiful spot where I paint my impressionistic landscapes, and view the various paintings in the studio that aren't out at a gallery yet.


"Summer Days", 36" x 48", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

People love to see my studio because it gives a feeling for how and where I work. You can see work that is experimental as well as pieces that are not yet finished.

So mark your calendars for Saturday, June 26th, and come participate in the House Tour in Pownal to learn more about energy and home designs.

If you would like more information about my Open Studio Tour, feel free to email me at: art@lydiajohnston.com or call 802-823-7713.
For further questions about the Pownal House Tour, please call 802-823-5328.

Lenox Art Walk on Memorial Day Weekend

"Flowering Meadow", 18" x 24", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

This Memorial Day Weekend I will be participating once again in the Lenox Spring Art Walk. The art walk will be held both Saturday and Sunday, May 29th and 30th, from 11 am to 5 pm each day. There will be demonstrations and opportunities to meet with artists.


"Dreaming of Flowers I", 8" x 9", oil on linen

I will be outside the Lenox Gallery of Fine Art at 69 Church Street on both days. During the art walk I will be displaying some of my smaller paintings, not regularly shown in the gallery, as well as giclée reproductions of some of my favorites. Please stop by and say hello, and then step into the gallery to see my newest large works.

New Paintings Delivered to Lenox Gallery

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

The Memorial Day Artwalk in Lenox, MA is fast approaching, coming up May 29th and 30th. I just delivered three newly completed pieces in my gem series of meadow paintings to the Lenox Gallery of Fine Art, in preparation for the artwalk.


"Morning Bluebells", 24" x 30", oil on linen

Each of the "Gem" series is a close up view of a meadow in bloom, but each has a different color range evoking a different mood.


"Sunlit Gems", 30" x 40", oil on canvas

There are now nine of my "Gem" series at the Lenox Gallery, so stop by and see them all.

"Sky Sonatas"

"Sky Sonata XXIV", 10" x 10", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

I just hung "Sky Sonatas", an exhibit of twenty-eight of my new sky paintings, in Spiral Press Café at Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, VT. Nine are mid to large paintings, and the rest smaller ones.

“I want my paintings to have mystery, to allude to the familiar while remaining wholly ambiguous. I'm not interested in supplying all the details of a specific place. I want there to be more than one interpretation. By hinting at things, I hope to trigger your imagination; I want you, the viewer, to bring some of your own experiences and recollections to the process. This collaboration allows you to connect in a profound way. I want you to sink into my art and be transported.”


"Sky Sonata XV", 10" x 13", oil on linen

Many of the new small oil paintings hanging in the exhibit are not yet up on my website, so I put together a page that shows all of these paintings. Just click HERE to see all twenty-eight paintings in the show. They will be hanging until June 2nd.

"Morning Bluebells"

"Morning Bluebells", 24" x 30", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

I've just completed another piece in my gem series of meadow paintings. I love it in the early morning, mist hanging in the meadow, before the sun burns it off.

"Liquid Sunshine"

"Liquid Sunshine", 30" x 40", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

On my painting trip to California in February, I stayed with Judith Anton, an artist friend, and her husband Kei Akagi, a superb jazz pianist. I loved painting to Kei's recent CD, "Liquid Blue", letting the music flow through me and energize the process.

When I returned home to my studio, I immersed myself in this large up-close meadow piece, the rhythms of "Liquid Blue" infusing me with an energy that went right into the patterns and movement in the painting, strings of color harmonizing with each other.

Think Spring

"Spring Gems", 30" x 40", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

After a glorious week of early spring weather, I awoke to a new covering of snow. At least it gives me snow light in my studio. I am fully immersed in a number of new large meadow paintings.


"Hidden Path", 24" x 30", oil on canvas

Last week I delivered these four new meadow paintings to the Lenox Gallery of Fine Art.



"Spring Sun", 30" x 30", oil on linen

If you have a chance, stop in to the gallery to see the paintings. The originals have such vibrant colors compared to the online images.


"Summer Grasses", 30" x 40", oil on canvas

Bennington, VT Art Exhibit, 100 for $100

"Summer Sonata", 7" x 8", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

The second annual "One Hundred for $100" Art Exhibit and Sale will be taking place in downtown Bennington, VT this coming Friday, March 19th, and Saturday March 20th, 2010. The event will be held in the 210 South Street Building, Bennington, VT. The exhibit is from 6-9pm Friday evening and 10-2pm on Saturday. The event is free and open to the public.

One hundred works of original art by local and regional artists will be exhibited and offered for sale. All 100 pieces of art will be priced at just $100. There will be paintings, mixed media, jewelry, photography, sculpture, pottery, fiber arts, and more.


"Sky Sonata XXIII", 7" x 8", oil on linen


I will have four small original oil paintings in the exhibit, all from my ongoing "Sky Sonata" series.

A special feature this year will be an exclusive preview of the exhibit from 5-6pm with champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and live smooth jazz by Blueprint. Tickets for the preview event are $15/person at the door or $12 in advance. Tickets are available in advance at the Downtown Welcome Center.


"Sky Sonata III", 6.5" x 9", oil on linen

At 6pm the doors will open to the public, admission is free, and the artwork will be available for sale. Come enjoy an evening of live entertainment, appetizers, cash bar, and purchase one of the 100 beautiful pieces of art that were jury selected from over 350 entries. Meet with the artists and learn about their techniques and inspirations.

On Saturday, the doors open again from 10-2pm, your final opportunity to find that perfect piece of art for only $100, a price you won’t find in galleries or stores. The proceeds of the event benefit the non-profit Better Bennington Corporation.


"Sky Sonata XIX", 7" x 8", oil on linen

210 South Street is located on the corner of South St. and Hillside St.(directly across from Friendly's Restaurant). There is plenty of parking in the rear of the building and the exhibit is handicap accessible with an elevator located in the glass atrium at the front of the building.

For more information please call the Better Bennington Corporation at 802-442-5758 or visit Better Bennington Corporation.

Dreaming of Summer

About this time in February, winter definitely starts to drag on. We are back in the deep freeze and yet there is barely even any snow left on the ground. So I immerse myself in thoughts of warmer months to come and start painting in my meadow series.


"Summer Grasses", 30" x 40", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

I am dreaming of summer, lush grasses growing alongside a stream, a warm breeze gently blowing. A world away from what is outside my studio windows.

The Allure of Ambiguity

I want my paintings to have mystery, to allude to the familiar while remaining wholly ambiguous. I'm not interested in supplying all the details of a specific place. I want there to be more than one interpretation.


"December Light", 18" x 24", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston


By hinting at things, I hope to trigger the viewer's imagination, I want the viewer to bring some of his own experiences and recollections to the process. This collaboration allows the viewer to connect in a profound way. It allows the viewer to sink into the scene and be transported.