This piece is entitled “Lonely House” and is an 8x10
watercolor painting. The content of this piece includes an older mobile home,
lit only by the porchlight and the earliest of morning rays. I spent 7 years
waiting for the bus right in front of this house. Most mornings, especially on
the coldest ones, this house was lit exactly how it’s presented in the
painting. Looking back, I feel nostalgia.
Everything about riding the bus was dreadful. There were
early hours, cold moorings and hot mornings.
The bus ride was long and slow, and it was taking me to a place I would have
preferred not to be. Even so, the bus stop was a calm, quiet place. I believe
this is why I feel nostalgic looking at this painting.
I’m not sure if anyone lived in this house after my 3rd
year at the bus stop. The porchlight was on, but the windows were always dark.
After my 3rd year at the bus stop, the dark red Jeep I would see
leaving in the morning never showed up. For 4 long years, that house sat, all
alone.
By the end of my 7th year riding the bus, I was
old enough to drive myself, so I stopped riding, and therefore stopped seeing
the lonely house.
Half a year went by till I went by my old bus stop again. I
was shocked to see what lay before me. The lonely house was gone. All that
remained was an empty plot of land and the slab of concrete where the old house
once stood. I still miss that old house and waiting for the bus every morning. It
was a huge part of my childhood, and now it’s gone forever.
I think your painting is amazing! Your story about how this is exactly how it was when you would wait for the bus in mornings gives the painting a lot of meaning. I bet it was hard to drive by and see that a home you had so many memories in was gone, I know it would have been hard on me.
ReplyDeleteThis story was an instant flash back for me. I had n similar experiences but the differences is that hold house at the bus stop was my old house. My old elementary school bus stop was right in my yard. But before I went into middle school our house burnt down. So many neighbors said they miss that old house and I do to.
ReplyDeleteThis painting was really good. The house reminds me of my grandmother's house and your story about waiting for the bus was very relatable. It's funny how little things like that stick with you. Great painting and keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing painting, Sarah! I absolutely love it! I wish I had the remarkable ability to paint that you have. I love how the picture tells a story about the old house that you waited for the bus near every morning. In your painting the house appears to be very inviting. I absolutely love it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful art! I too rode the same bus every year and passed the same little houses that always caught my eye. They were land marks for me while waiting for the time to pass and the bus to drop us off at school. I actualy began to enjoy seeing those tiny houses and helped me cope with that long bus ride. Amazing work!
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think that even though you were waiting in front of that house to go somewhere you didn't want to go it made it ok because the house gave you a calm and warm feeling. I can remember a man who always sat in his golf cart and waved to our bus every morning when we went by. After I was old enough to drive I always gave him a honk as I drove by to return the favor that he did for us for so many years. To many it may seem like nothing but when something is gone that was a part of your life for so long it is hard to say goodbye and becomes a piece of you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece of art! Ive always enjoyed looking at houses as i drive by finding some unique ones in the process. Sometimes id use them as ways to remember where I'm going, I think one of my favorite tiny houses i encountered was an A frame tiny house. I love the medium this is done in as well, i paint myself but use only acrylics i have not yet tried any others.
ReplyDeleteWow what a beautiful piece! I think that looking at the neat little houses while in the car is one of my favorite things to do. I also find that sometimes they help me remember where I'm going, I think my favorite tiny house I've encountered was a small A frame house. I love the medium you chose for this, i am an artist as well but only use acrylic paints. I'd love to see more of your work.
ReplyDeleteI find this piece to be absolutely gorgeous,the symbolic meaning here is also quite lovely. I also love looking at small houses as i drive, they sometimes help me to remember where i am heading and i use them as landmarks. One of my favorite houses Ive encounterd was a small A frame house with flowers around the base of it. I love imagining myself living in them as well, i overall love the medium and style of this painting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful painting! I really enjoyed reading your story and seeing how you related your painting to your childhood. It is sad to think that the house is now gone. Although the hose is gone, atleast you were able to capture its memory in a painting. -Katherine Wilson
ReplyDeleteThis painting is absolutly beautiful! After reading your story and looking at the picture I feel as if I was waiting for the bus with you. I'm glad you got to paint the picture of the house, so now eventhough it is gone you can still look back at this painting and treasure its memory. - Emma Willis
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful piece. I can relate with you because I love drawing and painting since a young age. Started as a hobby until I took it seriously, now I do paint for me. Same as you I like to paint places or things that I can truly relate with in my personal life. There was a house that from the street looked like a doll house because it was so tiny but the same time delicate.
ReplyDelete-Rose
Before anything else, this is a beautiful piece. I've never seen the house in the picture but I can feel what it would be like to stand in front of it. Waiting for the bus was always a tense time for me and I would spend most of it counting trees in the yard across the street. There was a gigantic palm tree that the neighbors left their Christmas lights on all year. Thank you for taking me back to that place!
ReplyDeleteYour watercolor painting is beautiful. Your story takes me back to yesteryear, as I reflect on my own personal experience at the bus stop. I remember waiting at “the big white rock,” located at the end of our driveway. Using my imagination, that rock took on many roles over the years. One of my favorite memories was pretending to be a teller, while the rock was the bank. I wonder if that big white rock is still there? Although many years ago, I’m amazed at the vivid mental pictures that become embedded in our mind. Thank you for sharing. -Carolyn Moore
ReplyDelete