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.

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.

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.

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.

"Warm Glow"

"Warm Glow", 18" x 24", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

Bask in the warm glow of light spreading over the fields and glinting on the treetops towards the end of the day. On this rainy Saturday, I look at this painting and I can feel the sunshine.

Color in the Air

"Sky Sonata VII", 16" x 16", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

Not the most spectacular fall colors this year, but I always love the change. It's a magical time when the air is infused with color. I soak it up before the drabness of winter sets in.


16" x 16", oil on linen

Sky Sonatas

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

Three new Sky Sonatas. I continue to find satisfaction painting these small pieces. I usually begin them late in the day. I hate to waste paint, and there are always small amounts of leftover mixes after finishing up a large painting.


"Sky Sonata VIII", 10" x 10", oil on linen

So I grab a 10" x 10" piece of linen, and start to play, play with different color combinations, play with different design elements. There is a freedom and joy working on these small paintings.


"Sky Sonata IX", 10" x 10", oil on linen

Painting Skies

12" x 9", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

Some people may disagree, but I have been loving the weather here in southern Vermont this summer. Cool temperatures, imagine 60's and 70's throughout June and July. Only now, by the third week in July, are we creeping up to the 80's. Chill evenings when a blanket is needed. Almost no humidity, so the air feels crisp and the mountains and ridges are clear.

And the ever changing skies, sun shining and then clouds building, the sky getting dark, and darker, and suddenly it's raining. Yes, we've had a lot of rain. But most days, before you know it, the sun is breaking out again, the clouds are scudding across the sky. I love it. The ever changing pattern and movement in our skies. And so I am focused on painting big skies.

Back in My Studio

11" x 8", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

I'm finally back in my studio painting and it feels great. Four weeks ago I was injured in a bicycle accident, no broken bones, but I did a face plant on the pavement and suffered deep abrasions. No energy for anything but healing for the first two weeks. And then another two weeks impatiently waiting for the scrapes on my hands to fully close over so that I could safely work with oil paints.

So I started back on this small sky-scape, just 11" x 8". I had completed the under-painting in yellow ocher before the accident, so the values and composition were set. It's painted on the new linen I am starting to work with. What a pleasure to be back playing with color.

Bennington, VT Art Exhibit, "100 for $100"

The opening reception for "One Hundred for $100" Art Exhibit and Sale will be taking place in Bennington, VT this coming Friday, March 20th, 2009. The reception will be from 5-9 pm at the Nichols Building, 457 Main Street, Bennington, VT.

There will be 100 pieces of original art including painting, mixed media, jewelry, photography, sculpture, pottery, fiber arts, and more, all created by local professional artists. All 100 pieces of art will be priced at just $100.

I will have five small original oil paintings in the exhibit, including "Up the Road", 7" x 5", shown above.

Come enjoy an evening of live entertainment, refreshments, and one hundred works of art, meet with the artists and learn about their techniques and inspirations.

A special feature during this first annual event will be the unveiling of Will Moses’ newest painting created for the Shires of Vermont. The long awaited unveiling will be the beginning of a four month tour for the painting throughout Bennington County before being auctioned off in the summer. Will Moses will be attending the event for the unveiling, as will local and state officials to help celebrate and support Bennington County marketing initiatives.

The exhibition and sale, cocktail reception, and unveiling will be Friday, March 20th from 5PM until 9PM, but the studio will reopen on Saturday, March 21st from 10AM until 4PM for an opportunity to enjoy and purchase works of art at a price you won’t find in galleries or stores.


"In the Vermont Hills", 5" x 7", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

Admission is free to the public.

For more information please call the Better Bennington Corporation at 802-442-5758 or visit http://www.betterbennington.com.

Weathered Barns

20" x 30", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

Another new painting, as yet untitled. This fall and early winter we spent many late afternoons out on our tandem bicycle riding through the nearby countryside. I love seeing the old weathered barns in this area. So I took a number of reference photos, and have been painting one of my favorites.

Exhibit Opens at the Bennington Center for the Arts

"Reflections", 30" x 40", oil on linen, Lydia Johnston

This past Wednesday, I helped to hang a large group art exhibit at the Bennington Center for the Arts. Three of my oil paintings are included in the exhibit, "Reflections", "Shelter", and "Hummingbird's Delight".


"Shelter", 36" x 48", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

The exhibit space is large, so well suited to my large paintings. The show will open on Friday February 1st, and run until the end of May. If you are in southern Vermont, be sure to stop in to see it.


"Hummingbird's Delight", 30" x 40", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

New Oil Paintings at Lenox Gallery

"Spring Sun", 36" x 48", oil on canvas

I have recently delivered to the Lenox Gallery of Fine Art the latest large oil painting in my receding ridgeline series. These large oil landscapes are so hard to capture in a small digital image, so it is always satisfying for me when they are hung in an art gallery where they can be seen in person.

Receding Ridge Lines

"Aglow", 12" x 16", oil on canvas, Lydia Johnston

Recently I've been exploring the theme of receding ridge lines and hills in my oil landscapes, such a familiar sight here in Southern Vermont and the Berkshires.

Every so often I will pull out a small canvas to paint, usually when I have mixed oil paints leftover, after completing a large painting. While I prefer painting large landscapes, 30" x 40" or 36" x 48", I find a freedom to explore with a little piece like this one, just 12" x 16". Here the entire canvas is covered so quickly. Standing in front of it to paint, I can take in the whole picture at once, easily deciding where to place my next stroke, without having to continually step back across my art studio to view the whole piece.