First Snow

Painting commissioned as a gift for a woman who as a young girl had never seen snow before coming to our country from Malaysia. Her response is captured here in its purity.

"Suat's First Snow" pastel, 20x16, ©Johanna Bohoy, 2008  SOLD- Malaysia

Cranberry Harvest

Seeing things? 

Red water? 

Yes, cranberries floating in a bog of blue. 

Native Americans named the red berries Sassamanash, and introduced them to the starving Pilgrims in Massachusetts, who then used them in their first Thanksgiving feast. 

Now they are ours. Little red pearls of tartness that add color and sweetness to our plates and palates. 

Thank you Mother Earth.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pastel, 10 x 8, $150. SOLD

Good Swan

The good swan. As fragile as crystal. As pure as the white she wore. Lia Cirio of Boston Ballet, who performed last weekend, was the best swan I have ever seen dance the parts of Odette and Odile. 

As delicate as her white swan was- her black swan was fiery, 

look-you-in-the-eye passionate, athletic, and energetic. 

A standing ovation well deserved. 

Feathers aloft.

Bravo.

Pastel, 7 x 5 SOLD-Pennsylvania, 
[Print: Massachusetts]

Surprise Glacier, Alaska, watercolor, Bohoy

Surprise!
It's a glacier.
An ice sculpture framed by the mountains. Groaning, cracking, spouting, melting- calving into the sound. Baby blue reflected from the sky above.
Chunks of ice swim over to greet us. Little ships built by hundreds of years of compressed snow- now set sail.
A wonder of nature before our eyes.
[Surprise Glacier, Alaska].

Watercolor, 20 x 16, unframed  $500.

Alaska watch

Out come the cameras and phones. Almost tipping the boat into waves. Capturing mountains and glaciers ahead. And a humpback? an otter? an Orca? a seal?
Sights to see and send home.
Heading to Surprise Glacier, Alaska

Pastel, 10 x 8, $175. 

Hatcher Pass, Alaska, pastel Bohoy

"There's gold in them thar hills." 
Hatcher Pass, Alaska. Through the rolling hills and roiling mist a shrouded vestige of the past appears. Peaks of red that sheltered the miners of the Alaska Pacific Mining Company dot the velvety green pass. Ghostly mists and fog and clouds hover above, all secretly holding the stories of the men seeking their fortunes that came to a halt during WWII. Eerily beautiful.

Pastel board, 16 x 20, $400.

Lavender Fields, Sequim, Bohoy pastel

Lavender Fields forever.
A little bit of Provence on an island off of Seattle- a town called Sequim.
Mounds of purple, lavender, blues and violets line up on the farms like soldiers ready for battle to clean and permeate the air with its herbal, sweet scent. 
[The name comes from lavandus a Latin word that means to wash and its aromatherapy properties soothe one's head, body and soul.]
It did.

Pastel, 8x10, $150.

Peony Seller, Pike's Mkt Seattle, Bohoy

Peony Seller at Pike's Market in Seattle:
Pale pink balls of heavenly aroma arranged in buckets for sale.
Like puffy little petticoats.
How can nature create such petals of perfection?

8 x10, mixed media. SOLD- Pennsylvania

Flower "girl"

This pastel I painted a 
while ago reminds me of 
my two old college friends. 
"Earth Mother" Oksana,
and Janie the herb grower.
I can picture either of them
doing just this-gliding 
through fields of flowers
and herbs, bathed by the
sun, in solitude, picking up
gifts from the earth.

Pastel 8x10, framed 
SOLD New York
 

Father's Day, pastel, Bohoy

Happy Father's Day 
Poppy, Pop, Papa, 
Grandpa, Gramps, 
Dad, Father...

Pastel, 5x7, $125.

Mermaid

In spring-
A dip in the ocean will turn you blue.
So the teal of a swimming pool calls for you. 
Chlorine, not sea smells, burn your nose.
No shells, just tiles lay under your toes. 
Warm but cool- 
it will have to do.
Swim little mermaid.

Watercolor, 8 x 10, $200.

Day of Reflection

Today is my birthday. May 7.
A day of reflection- always.
I did this art recently of my friend Zoe for the header of her blog 
http://beautifulbeyond50.com/  and it seems to appropriately fit this day.

Our friendship began when, as college women, we were both selected as Mademoiselle Magazine Guest Editors joining the ranks of accomplished "GEs" such as writers Slyvia Plath, Tama Janowitz, Joan Didion, Ann Beattie, Janet Burroway, Mona Simpson [Steve Jobs sister], Carol Brightman,  Francine du Plessix Gray; journalist Lynn Sherr, NY Times food critic Gael Greene, Fashionistas Betsy Johnson, Linda Allard, Bonnie August, NY Fashion Week founder Fern Mallis, and actress Ali McGraw. 

A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We all went on to live our lives in different ways- some obviously more successful than others, but most of us are now at that age of reflection. Looking back, looking ahead, working on making ourselves beautiful beyond 50; inside and out. 
Today I will commence my next year of doing just that.

"Zoe in mirror", pastel 5 x 7, commission.

May Day

It's May Day!
Time to make traditional May Wine.

Watercolor, 4 x 10

Boston Marathon celebration

Yeah!

Pastel, 5x7

SOLD Connecticut

Spring Robin in snow

The spring robin is dazed and confused.
As are we.
It's spring, but snow petals
are replacing our flower petals.

Watercolor, 5 x 7, SOLD- Massachusetts

Oscars red carpet 2014, Floating on the runway

The Oscar 2014 red carpet had lots of flowing trains, blush gowns, pregnant ladies and men in white.
I have painted the Oscar gowns since 2007. Click on the word "fashion" in the listing on the right of this blog and scroll down to see the previous years.

Pastel, 8x10.

Our cat Pumpkin, pastels, Bohoy

Pastels, 8x10 NFS.

♥ Love the one you're with, pastel, Bohoy

"Love the one you're with"
by Stephen Stills

Pastel 8x10 ©2007.
SOLD-
SOLD NEW HAMPSHIRE

Snow Day, Blizzard of '78, pastel, Bohoy

Hard to believe that it was 36 years ago to the day that New England was pummeled by the "Blizzard of '78". 
The snow choked us. 
Wind whipped us. 
The ocean beat us.
Time stopped. 
We all stopped. 
Lessons learned. 
And oh so many stories to tell. 

Pastel, 8x10, $175.
[woman walking to the beach in a storm]

SOLD- Pennsylvania

Dad & Daughter bride

A proud dad commissioned this painting of his newly married daughter for her Christmas present.
He even built an elaborate frame for it.
How sweet it is- the love of a father.

Pastel, 5x7, Commission, Sold [Massachusetts]