The Daily Spectrum - A New Beginning

   I paint because for me there is nothing else like it. Painting is a unique experience with every canvas begun. A "new beginning", for me, is rarely a single spontaneous action. It usually involves several other actions that fall into place and spawn a bigger idea, which then I see if it will develop into a concept.

   This past Monday, I worked on three canvases rendering barn scenes from around the mid-coast area of Maine. In my travels, I have noticed these sometimes large structures and wondered about them as well as the life they have or had. Some barns are still used for livestock, some have been converted into large chicken coops, some were horse liveries, and some are being used for storage of boats, cars, and even planes.

   Barns represent a time in history that for the most part has passed. While many are still in use and in good condition, just as many have fallen into disrepair or collapsed. In dealing with the latter, it is because the farm is no longer active or abandoned. In other cases, the funds were not available for upkeep and/or insurance companies do not want to pay out the costly funds to rebuild.

   When I traveled back north from Georgia to Maine in the spring of 2014, I noticed that farms with substantial acreage were going by the wayside. Some were for sale, others were selling off portions of land. Some of the ones still operating have added income by becoming a bed & breakfast with the barn being used for entertainment purposes. I must admit - people are innovative. I still see the good 'ole Yankee Spirit in action.

   This barn in Rockland Maine came together rather easily for me. I sketched the barn with burnt umber then laid in the sky, grass, barn, background, trees, bushes, red sticks in front, and finished with the scraggly tree (as a friend who viewed the painting put it). Two days later, I approached the painting again and added all the shadows giving the barn and bushes depth.

   This is the first in a series of barn paintings I started working on this week. I have officially ended the Gallery Wall Talk series and would like to thank all those who viewed my works, liked them on Facebook, and commented about them! Please continue to do so with this new series!

Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill