On a hot summer day in July 1980, I drove up on Big Tree Road in Lakewood, NY pulled over, set up my easel in the meadow off the side of the road and made a painting of Chautauqua Lake in the background and a lone white house. It took me about two hours and I still feel the heat of the sun on my back, and I hear the insects buzzing around in the meadow while working on it.
This is a photograph of the resulting painting, which was 18 x 24 inches. The painting is long lost. I do not know who might have it today, or if it even still exists. But the photograph has been the lock-screen image on my work computer for many years now.
But note, the two telephone poles in front of the house are still exactly the same, at the same angle, as they were in 1980. Somebody lived in that house then, somebody else lives there now, and they have no idea that their house the object of a painting, and now a blog post.
Thanks for sharing your painting and insight about the location.
Using Google Maps is a great way to go back to locations later – couldn’t do that as well and cheaply with real travel, could we?
I used to go on many walks that included that meadow, and that view–thanks for taking me home!
Anonymous takes on a new meaning – you have me guessing.
Wonder what happened to the phone lines on the right side of the road.