People on State Street Monday morning were in for a treat. Painter David Ohlerking was easel painting on the sidewalk beside his paint-covered car while smoking a cigar -- a spectacle that had many nearby pedestrians doing a double take.

Ohlerking says he was painting a street scene for an upcoming gallery show at Countryside Frames and Radhouse Studios on State Street. The show opens May 20.

“I was painting the gallery’s immediate surroundings through direct observation, which isn't thought out, you just paint what you see,” Ohlerking said. “I was just trying to paint as directly as possible, what was right there.”

Ohlerking lives in Philadelphia and divides his working time between Doylestown and Point Pleasant, N.J. He said he likes painting Newtown’s old buildings and finds that “people in Newtown seem pretty happy, I like that. And here, no one will jack your things on the street.”

His technique is a bit unusual, brushing oil paint on masonite, then “recycling” old business cards and postcards by using them as scrapers to create a white effect on his canvas instead of white paint. The thick smell of paint fumes surrounds his car and the trunk serves as his palette, filled to the brim with open jars and brushes. One of the most remarkable sights was the paint on the car itself.

“I let some little kids paint it outside a church in Philadelphia,” Ohlerking explained. “I figured I had paint on my car anyway, and it made them happy. But they’re probably the only ones who will get to do that.”

And the cigar?

“I eat my McDonald’s breakfast and have a Red Bull, then smoke a cigar and paint,” said Ohlerking. “It’s the happiest, coolest moment of my day.”