Landscape paintings, winter landscape paintings, canadian landscape paintings, landscape scenes, winter landscape scenes, canadian landscape scenes, canadian winter forest paintings, landscape paintings, winter landscape paintings, winter mountain scenes, forest creek wilderness paintings, Alberta landscape paintings, paintings of streams and forests and maritime scenes by Canadian Nova Scotia landscape artist J.Thomas Hinton.
The Architecture of a Doorway

Doorways are very important transition areas. They represent a bridge between two spaces and can be either a means of connection or isolation.
In larger rooms and open spaces the opacity of a solid door is often preferred to present visual limits to the space, whereas smaller rooms require a sense of visual connection between one another that can only be provided by some form of open area within the door. Glazing has been the traditional route to provide this visual link while at the same time offering acoustical isolation.
In specific rooms not requiring any form of acoustical isolation a screen is ideal, such as in an indoor/outdoor transition where the transference of air, sound and fragrance is desired while maintaining a visually minimal barrier against unwanted intruders such as insects, birds and curious animals. Screen doors used in an exclusively interior location also benefit from this alternative to glazing with increased air movement necessary for heating, cooling and ventilation purposes.
Traditionally, doors, both interior and exterior, including summer doors have not ventured far from the essence of their practicality being simple frames for glass or screen. However, once released from the confines of conventionality, the door becomes an ideal medium for art and personal expression, a blend of form, function and visual delight.

 decorative wooden screen doors decorative wooden screen doors decorative wooden screen doors decorative wooden screen doors decorative wooden screen doors
The first door on your left (which isn’t the washroom) was my original foray into screen door art. Created with the sole thought in mind of keeping out mosquitoes it soon acquired the embellishment of a ‘51 Chevy pick-up chrome hood emblem. To add to the subtlety I added a bit of grill mimmickry in the center and voila - the Chevy Door.

Following this was my Stuck Venetian Blind door, an intentionally distracting door that fit rather appropriately within the context of the ratty old house I was renting at the time. It gave me endless amusement watching people who, while waiting at the back door, would try and ‘fix’ the blind, all to no avail as it was made of wood and part of the door.

Not much later I was commissioned to create a screen door for a fellow artist and what surfaced was the Tree Door, a fanciful foray into fantasyland. Apart from the exterior beauty of this door it’s real surprise was the shadows it would leave on the interior floor. With a solid glass door inside even in the depths of a cold and nasty winter the floor would be strewn with the shadows of summer foliage. mmmmm...

The Frog Door was a commission for a friend in Banff Alberta. The frog’s eye and the red of the bullrushes were painted to match the trim that surrounded the door.

In between this door and my latest, the Perth Amboy, a lot of time had transpired so that when I again returned to making screen doors it was with a vengeance. Not only did I go into even greater detail but this door is also electrified with both running lights as well as the spot light iluminating at the flip of a switch.This art door was specifically commissioned as an entrance to the Marine Art Gallery of the Atlantic which was within the Old Steamer Restaurant. Being both of

maritime decor, the classic New York steam tugboat the LeHigh Perth Amboy was chosen as the subject. Made entirely of wood, the door was then given an ‘iron and rust’ finish to further reflect the antiquity of the subject.
decorative wooden screen doors
Detail of lights and door relief on Perth Amboy
Next on the drawing board? A bright red screen door based on the old British phone boxes, then for the rock and roll freak - a Marshall stack topped with a Marshall amp complete with the little ‘On’ and ‘Standby’ lights.

I should mention at this point though that if you have any thoughts about commissioning a custom wooden screen door you might start by dropping off a suitcase full of large bills at my back door (that would be the Chevy door), as the time and effort that goes into each door excludes me from painting, eating or getting up to any other worthwhile shenanigans like making homemade red wine and, of course, tasting it for quality control purposes, which I believe I will do right now...ta ta
J.Thomas Hinton Landscape Paintings
792 Ohio Rd. R.R.#4 New Germany Nova Scotia Canada B0R 1E0
email:artist@jthomashinton.com