Downtown and Dawgs

They call it "stay-at-home" mom but I'm more of a "let's-get-out-of-the-house-before-I-lose-my-mind" kind of mom.  Seth and I go somewhere pretty much every day.  Ninety percent of the time we do something free, like the park, the other park,  or visiting the dogs at Hollywood Feed.  A lot of times we just go somewhere and walk around, look in shop windows, climb stairs...  Memphis is cool like that.  There's lots of places to just explore. 

Over the summer we meandered around downtown Memphis enough for me to get the pictures I needed to finish my downtown painting.     

"Downtown" 11x14 watercolor on paper by Holly B. Johnson ©2014. Signed prints, $25 each.

I tried to include as many attractions and aspects of downtown as I could. 

There's the bridge and the pyramid, a trolley from Main St., the Orpheum, the Peabody and the Peabody ducks.  I've never taken Seth to see the Peabody ducks.  I'll have to put that on our itinerary...  There's the FedExForum (Go Grizz!), Beale St., AutoZone Park (Go Redbirds!), and the skyline view from Riverside Park. 

I also wanted to include South Main because that's such a cool area, but I knew I couldn't capture it by depicting just any one particular shop or restaurant so I went with a sign that I've seen there.  Simple and to the point! 

And what Memphis painting would be complete without some BBQ?  There's lots of great barbecue to be found downtown.  Personally, I maintain that Blues City Cafe on Beale St. has the best ribs, but I already had Beale St. in my painting and Rendezvous is much better known by the masses for their ribs.  It's a Memphis favorite and long-standing tradition.  Rendezvous is one of those very few restaurants who really mean it when they boast themselves to be "World Famous."  Seriously, the ribs at Rendezvous are.  They've been featured on The Travel Channel, The Food Network, and The Today Show, just to name a few.  They're pretty dang good! 

If you like my Downtown Memphis painting, be sure to check out this one of Midtown Memphis too. 

And now another of my newest paintings, in celebration of the No.1 team in all the land...

"Top Dawg" 6x4 watercolor on paper by Holly B. Johnson ©2014. Signed prints, $15 each.

State's got a big game against Alabama tomorrow.  Hope I didn't just jinx 'em with this painting!  

Finally, don't forget the Handworks Holiday Market is coming up next weekend!  If you live in the Jackson, MS area, come see me and all the other crafty vendors!  This show is a great place to find unique, handmade gifts for Christmas.  Just 41 days until Christmas!