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Paper: Arches 140 lb hot press block paper 11” x 14” with an acid-free matte to fit 16” x 20” frame.
Photo credit: Yvette DesGroseilliers (thank you so much for letting me use your NYS barn photograph as a guide for this painting)
The entire trip to my grandfather’s barn echoed in my mind as each step called forth a large crunching noise. The snow was not new – it had been over a week since the last big storm and in some areas, the landscape remained a delicate pale blue reflecting back the colors of the sky. On the major paths, the ground had turned a light brown with a cast of gold as foot travel had mixed the ground with the surface snow layer.
When visiting my grandparents, especially in the early months of a new year, the snowpack was always a surprise and a treat – this region of New York State caught some of the snows that spiral off of the Great Lakes whisking the flurries across the southern tier. Inside the barn, it was quiet, dark and cold but there still was a feeling of comfort, as the hay was piled against the walls up for feed, and the cows shuffled back and forth in their stalls. Pockets of warm air generated from the livestock moved through the large open spaces settling into layers, only to be disturbed when one moved around or opened the main barn door.
I often ask myself, why do I remember these odd snippets of my childhood, and as I get older, I realize they were formative moments in my personality, somehow shaping my ability to use all my senses to see and to recreate these moments. More important than I could ever imagine as I just enjoyed those simple and youthful moments I had at the farm. Unfortunately, my grandfather’s barn no longer stands, but on a recent trip to this area, I walked the fields where the perimeter of the farm still was lined with old board fencing. I brought home a few pieces of the fence as my memory palace; as I look at them, they transport me back to the blue barn winter skies and the toasty brown farm pathways.
“Once you have tasted the taste of sky, you will forever look up” – Leonardo da Vinci
Paper: Arches 140 lb hot press block paper 11” x 14” with an acid-free matte to fit 16” x 20” frame.
Photo credit: Yvette DesGroseilliers (thank you so much for letting me use your NYS barn photograph as a guide for this painting)
The entire trip to my grandfather’s barn echoed in my mind as each step called forth a large crunching noise. The snow was not new – it had been over a week since the last big storm and in some areas, the landscape remained a delicate pale blue reflecting back the colors of the sky. On the major paths, the ground had turned a light brown with a cast of gold as foot travel had mixed the ground with the surface snow layer.
When visiting my grandparents, especially in the early months of a new year, the snowpack was always a surprise and a treat – this region of New York State caught some of the snows that spiral off of the Great Lakes whisking the flurries across the southern tier. Inside the barn, it was quiet, dark and cold but there still was a feeling of comfort, as the hay was piled against the walls up for feed, and the cows shuffled back and forth in their stalls. Pockets of warm air generated from the livestock moved through the large open spaces settling into layers, only to be disturbed when one moved around or opened the main barn door.
I often ask myself, why do I remember these odd snippets of my childhood, and as I get older, I realize they were formative moments in my personality, somehow shaping my ability to use all my senses to see and to recreate these moments. More important than I could ever imagine as I just enjoyed those simple and youthful moments I had at the farm. Unfortunately, my grandfather’s barn no longer stands, but on a recent trip to this area, I walked the fields where the perimeter of the farm still was lined with old board fencing. I brought home a few pieces of the fence as my memory palace; as I look at them, they transport me back to the blue barn winter skies and the toasty brown farm pathways.
“Once you have tasted the taste of sky, you will forever look up” – Leonardo da Vinci