This painting began innocently enough way back on May 29th, but was finished about 10 days ago. I can remember taking a picture of this farm - it was one of those rare occasions where I wasn't initially drawn to it by a rustic barn. It was the huge apple tree in front that captured my attention! To say that the barn was dwarfed in size by the tree would be an understatement. Upon closer inspection, however, I noticed that the house was vacant and the barn was literally falling apart on the inside. The tree represented the only sign of life. The irony of man verses nature came to mind - long after we humans as well as our structures are gone, nature will persevere. It is a humbling thought that the Earth really doesn't need our help, unlike the way we depend and rely on her to keep functioning.
I began with a sketch, painted the sky and grass. I roughed in the leaves of the apple tree, then the roofs of the house and barn. After a few hours, however, I noticed that I put quite a bit of detail into the apple tree - so much so, I had to wait several days before the paint would even remotely be somewhat drier.
Unfortunately, the painting would sit forlorn on my easel like an abandoned child for at least another two weeks. By the time the paint was once again workable, I had to go in for a long-overdue surgical procedure. Then came the recuperating process. By the time I was ready to paint again, 16 days had passed. It was more difficult than I thought it would be to get back into the habit of painting. My leg was still sore and it was awkward to stand. I struggled for another day trying to recapture the ideas and concepts I had for the work. Frustrated, I called it quits after only two hours.
After a good nights sleep as well as returned enthusiasm and determination, the painting came alive again. I balanced out the house and barn so the tree wouldn't overpower it. When I finished adding shadows to the painting, I called it done.
Until next time,
The Happy Painter,
Jill
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