I love buildings and homes with history. I want to know when they were built, what they were used for, and who lived or frequented there. The locations can still be in use or abandoned and falling apart, it doesn't matter, they fascinate me.
I like to imagine people living, working, shopping, playing, or doing whatever in the home or business. I can see a farmhouse built in the 1950s with granny and the grandkids on the front porch snapping peas. Or it's 1970 something and teenagers are running into the skating rink wearing tube socks, shorts, and spaghetti-strap tops excited about a night they waited for all week. One building, one home, can bring about so many stories.
Old Christ Church
Old Christ Church in downtown Pensacola, FL was built in 1832. It is one of the oldest churches in Florida, and although it is no longer a weekly services church, it does host special events and has a library and museum inside.
I imagine long ago women in floor-length dresses and men with hats and suits walking inside the building and sitting on long wooden pews listening to a service, then coming out and taking a stroll on the brick roads with horse-drawn carriages passing by.
This painting is on 140lb cold-pressed watercolor paper, size 8 x 10 framed in 11 x 14.
(click on photo to see it larger)
Starlite Lanes
Located in Detroit, MI, Starlite Lanes used to be a place to enjoy knocking down pins and laughing with friends. Today, it's abandoned. The wood is rotting and the paint is peeling off. But that's not how I see it. I see it as it once was. A place family and friends once looked forward to going to for weekend fun or during the week with their bowling league.
One of my favorite parts of the painting is the bricks. They turned out better than I thought they would. I am also a big fan of blue and burnt orange, so I know not only would have I wanted to bowl here because I enjoy bowling, but I would have been drawn in by the façade.
This painting is on 140lb cold-pressed watercolor paper, size 8 x 10 framed in 11 x 14.
(click on photo to see it larger)
Featured Artist: Janet Hill
Janet Hill is one of my all-time favorite artists. She incorporates vintage, fun, stories, quirkiness, and elegance in all of her paintings. I've featured a few with dogs and cats but she has so many - flowers, interiors, outdoor play, evening attire...
I snapped the photos from the two illustrated books she wrote: Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess and Miss Mink: Life Lessons for a Cat Countess. She is also the author of the book Lucy Crisp and the Vanishing House.
You can see and purchase all of her incredible artwork on her website https://janethillstudio.com/ or on her Etsy page https://www.etsy.com/shop/janethillstudio
Her Etsy page alone has almost 70,000 sales!
Upcoming Events
March 12th Bayside Market at Seville Square is having its Grand Opening from 10-3.
March 25th & 26th Gulf Breeze High School is hosting its annual Arts Festival.
On April 1st I will be teaching a painting class at Coldwater Gardens in Milton, FL from 2 pm - 4 pm
Have a great weekend!
Rebecca ~
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