Streets & Roads

I’ve been asked about my inspiration for my trio of “ Anytown” prints.
It’s interesting because generally if I complete a streetscape I can tell you exactly where you would find that street or the painting is self explanatory. It may hold within it an iconic store or well known building. I have focused a lot on our own city. I was born in Saint John and never left. My first job was in the F.W. Woolworths building, corner of Charlotte & King for which I hold an immense fondness. My mom worked at Pascal Emerson’s for 29 years until it closed .

My mom was a real “uptown” girl. She grew up in the city. She always says it like this .. “ I want to look out and see a sidewalk. No country living for me!”
Up until she was 80 years old she would power walk through the streets of Saint John. She had inherited her mom & dads home on paddock street. She planted gardens in the back driveway and also on the patch of grass between the sidewalk and the street! She received an acknowledgment in the form of a certificate for "beautification" of the city.

When dads dementia worsened mom said she had to find new ways to bring joy, so she would walk with dad and she told me they would try to see the city with fresh eyes everyday. They would pretend they were tourists and find something they hadn’t seen before on every walk! I thought that was so cute considering the struggle she was going through. That’s Mom, always resilient & resourceful!

In fact when I was little and didn’t want to eat my mashed potatoes, Mom would flatten them out and cut them into squares. Each square represented a street or road. She would pick up a forkful and say “ok.. this is paradise row. This is winter street etc. until every potato was gone from my plate!! Haha
Mom called it “ Streets & Roads”.. I even carried on this tradition in my own home with loggie and her meals.

Recently, Logan & I were talking about travel while dining in an uptown restaurant. As we watched folks pass with their umbrellas I said to her that the scene before us could be in any town, anywhere. And it reminded me of my thoughts when I first sketched “ Anytown” the series. 

I wanted to simply capture buildings.
No specific city, town or street. So, I gathered reference photos from near and far. Saint John, Newfoundland, Italy, Greece and San Francisco!
I quickly observed the colors, rooftops, doors, windows & architecture. I chose different buildings from each photo, melding them all together .

When I finished, I thought "There! Anyone who looks at these can be anywhere they want to be."

Talk soon,
Lana🌿

~ Art is not what you see, but what you make others see ~

Edgar Degas