I hope you had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year! For many of us, the new year marks not only a new beginning, but also the passage of time. And we may ponder different memories of these times now past. For me, certain locations can represent a feeling of nostalgia and tell a story about the past. When I paint certain locations I will sometimes think about the stories that might have occurred there. Old barns definitely fit into this category. Who built the barn? What kind of animals where kept there? Did children play in there? Where barns dances ever held there? Sometimes I will meet the owner of the barn and hear these stories. Sometimes the barns are lovingly cared for, other times they are abandoned and left to fall apart. In some cases I wonder if the owner will tear the barn down so they don't have the liability of kids getting hurt while playing in a dilapidated barn under their ownership. In any case the stories are there and when I paint I like to think that in a certain way I'm preserving these untold stories.
The barn in this painting no longer exists. I painted it from a small field study and not long afterwards it was torn down, only to leave an empty lot. I don't know if this area will be developed or if the field will be left empty, but in any case I know that barn had some stories attached to it. For me, painting is a way of preserving these stories, and preserving a part of American history. Someday most barns like this will be gone, but I hope painting them will keep them alive for many generations.
Tree Shadows
Oil on linen, 24x36
$6,000 framed.
Contact Highlands Art Gallery at 908-766-2720 to inquire.
