The Church Down the Street

Dogwoods. Oil on stretched canvas, 8x24

The church down the street has drawn me since we moved to Whalehead Road. It's a brick church, and it sits on a rising piece of land that overlooks the Thames River. The church faces west, and so, at pretty much any time of day, the sun does interesting things to its brick sides.

A week or so ago, dogwoods were in high bloom all over the place. Look into any glade, and you'd see the horizontal flowers of white dogwood, bright in the thin spring greenery.

The cultured variety burst into bloom, as well, and so it seemed that everywhere I went, I was treated to one of springtime's graceful shows. Between the pink and white dogwoods and the ornamental cherry trees, the azalea and early lilacs and a neighbor's surprise of wisteria, Whalehead Road came alive with color.

I'd set out to make more of a fuss about the dogwoods in this painting, but as I painted, the whole landscape made its way onto the canvas. The dogwoods are there, though!