Easy Reader 55th Anniversary Writing & Photo Contest 2025: Honorable Mention Photo & Writing
The Strand painter by Janice Nigro Francesca hoisted her laundry bag onto her back, slipped into her flip-flops and crossed the street to stroll along the beach on her way to 2nd Street. She paused before stepping into the mélange of life making up the traffic on The Strand. The team of French bulldogs pulling a skateboarder, the bark of a sea lion, the smell of weed. Oh, and the man she dubbed The Painter. Tall and sun-kissed, dark wavy hair pulled back in a headband, a Tahitian-style tattoo covering his shoulder, it was always a good day when she saw The Painter on The Strand. The plein air painter, portraying the local scenery in colorful, loose strokes with a sense of the past. He had the best marketing strategy of any small business owner she knew of. A finished painting hung on one side of his easel, while he worked on a fresh canvas on the other side. No overhead, lots of foot traffic. And his business was portable. Sometimes she passed him in Hermosa Beach. Sometimes in Manhattan Beach. Sometimes in Redondo Beach. So many opportunities to meet him and yet, she had never acknowledged the man with even the slightest of gestures. Not today, I have this giant bag of laundry…
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