Painting The Flowers Red

Bergen County’s beauty is the perfect inspiration for this Ridgewood-based painter.

Many of us, when struck with the beauty of a flower or a lovely day outside, may stop to snap a picture on their phones. Ridgewood-based artist Sridhar Rajagopalan reaches for his brushes instead. “I paint outside almost every day if I can,” explains Rajagopalan. “The French call it painting pleinair.” One early spring day, he was struck by the rhododendrons in a neighbor’s yard and couldn’t resist painting them. His sister snapped a picture of the art in progress, which Rajagopalan shared to his Instagram (which is also filled with images of his paintings). “I often drive around Bergen looking for inspiration to strike—a moment where the sheer natural beauty of our county forces me to stop, get my gear out and start painting,” he adds. Rajagopalan often finds inspiration at Ridgewood’s Irene Habernickel Family Park, J. A. McFaul Environmental Center in Wyckoff and other ponds and vistas in the neighboring towns. “Painting is just my way of admiring the beauty of nature,” he concludes.

Has Bergen County inspired you to make amazing art? Tell us about it on Instagram @bergenmagnj!