By M.Sebastian Araujo

My theme today is memory,that winged ghost that soared about me one golden midday as I tooled on my old boneshaker of a bicycle west on Commercial Street.
The desitnation was the iconic house of painter John Dowd. Everyone knows the one I mean,old Will Shakespeare has been keeping an eye on the goings on about the town from his perch in the second story window for a long time now. I use the word Iconic when describing the house, for it is a superb example of New England style and craftsmanship. Like his paintings,the house is imbued with a reverence for craftmanship,design and days gone by.Little seems to have changed beyond the rickety white picket fence. While the topsy-turvy town around it has changed and changed and changed, John seems to have held fast to his appreciation of the past.Filled with amazing New England antiques and sundry objects such as one would have found in this town a hundred years ago. Each room in this house was composed by an painterly eye.

In Johns paintings one sees a precise moment in time for a house ,a building or even a drive in movie screen. He captures that split second of stillness allowing the viewer to take it all in. I am often rendered speechless when standing in front of his work.His handling is superb as is his choice of subject.Currently there is an amazing exhibit of his work ,that is you get the chance you must visit.You can find more about it by clicking here :https://www.ccmoa.org/

In the ever changing world we live in ,I am always glad to find kindred souls who appreciate what has come before. A few like John Dowd take it to heart.
Making it their lifes work. While I am never one to poo-poo the modern or new, simply for being new and modern.I must admit to a certain affinity to what has come before and more so for what remains. The house on the corner of Commercial and Tremont serenely sits as if waiting for a passer by to stop and peek inside …as I have done on this golden Autumn day. Thankful for the chance to see the treasure trove inside.Off into the blazing late day warmth go I.Have a lovely Autumn day yourself,remember to Breathe Deeply and Exhale when you need to!

Bon Chance! Sebastian
   

For more information about John’s current work click here: http://www.williamscottgallery.com/artistdetail.php?artistID=1012&artist=John%20Dowd