Why do we love old barns?
So with this painting, I indulged my love of old barns yet again. I was sightseeing somewhere on the island of Montreal, Quebec, a few years back when we came upon a very well-tended farm. There was a sign for maple syrup, so of course we had to stop and buy some to take back to Florida! Much better to buy from the source than the supermarket. Nice folks, who gave us a tour of their beautiful farm.
Stepping into this barn was like stepping into a cathedral. For me, anyway. Huge hushed space, beams of light piercing the gloom, motes of dust floating in and out of the sunbeams, the sweet farm-smell of hay, straw, molasses, grain, and well-kept animals.
A sanctuary.
How many wild Canadian winters had this barn endured? As my dad used to say about winter in Montreal, “Nine months winter, three months tough sledding.” I don’t remember if they told me how old this barn was. If it had sheltered its people and animals for over a century, I would not have been surprised. Its walls were thick boards, cut from first-growth trees. Too dark to take photos inside.
I wish I’d been able to take better reference photos. The time of day, early afternoon, was against me, however. It was midsummer, and everything was a rampant emerald green, growing madly in the short but intense Quebec summer. I am sure an early morning or late afternoon “Golden Hour” view would be just amazingly beautiful. But I do like this view of the farm. I like the blinding glare of the tin roof, and was careful to describe its shape; there are subtle changes in its angles which tell of the height and the size of what is a very big roof. Since this entire painting is but 7 inches wide by 5 inches tall, I didn’t have much room to play! And, again, the rough texture of the paper was challenging. I could see some rich colors which said “Summer” to me, and punched them into the tooth of the paper.
It’s also challenging to get a decent scan of these pastels. The subtle pinks of the sundrenched road just don’t show up on a computer monitor. Well, the main thing is that I was able to honor this magnificent old barn. I would be afraid to search for it, however. Did the family decide farming was too much back-breaking work, and take an offer from a developer of ticky-tacky houses, let their heritage fall to the bulldozer’s blade?
Do you ever wonder what existed on the property where your home now stands?
This original pastel, and the others in my Black Paper Pastel series, are for sale in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/donnakazo
Just for the heck of it, my painting is being "modelled" in a typical 10" by 8" tabletop frame.
Back to Tennessee
What a beautiful place, the northeastern part of Tennessee. Every morning, during my visit, I would sit at the dining room table and write my Morning Pages and look up to see the light changing over the Appalachians. It reminded me so much of the ocean. And as it was January, sometimes the mountains would decide to make a little snow to share with everyone. Those are images I have in my queue of Black Paper Pastel Paintings. Up until I began this series, images like that intimidated me.
This particular farmscape was found along a road near my friend’s house. These mountains lack snow, but are covered with leafless trees, and I puzzled over their color. In this series, I am seeking pure color in every shape. And of course, with aerial perspective, the yellow drops out first, creating the well-known purple mountain phenomenon. So I was able to lay down strokes of violet and feel happy with the result. There was a lot of cloud activity, and they cast a deep blue shadow over the mountain range. As shadows do, it helped to describe the shapes of the mountains.
What I am very happy with is, of all things, the color of the dead grass in the field. Artists are tickled by odd things, to be sure. I could see a lot of pink in that grass, or perhaps it was hay that had not been gathered after mowing? I learned that the farmers sow hay and cover crops in the winter to protect the soil, and for other reasons. So some of the fields were emerald green, and some, as in this painting, were a rich brown.
Tennessee Farmscape, Appalachians Beyond
Who doesn’t like a road, curving into the painting? Often when we are captivated by a painting, it’s because we can imagine ourselves entering into its world, as Alice ventured beyond the looking glass. Art makes us feel a certain way, and that’s why we need art. So with this small painting, I satisfied my need to explore, to remember a beautiful day in the shadow of these magnificent mountains.
Like my other Black Paper Pastels, this painting is 5″ by 7″ and is matted out to 8″ by 10″.
Here's a framing idea: 10" by 8" tabletop frames are readily available! They are the kind with an easel on the back.
My second black paper pastel painting
Here is the second of my brand-new series of small pastel paintings. I guess you could call it a “farmscape” as it’s of a farm in northeastern Tennessee. I felt very brave trying to cram the Appalachians into a 5″ by 7″ pastel, but my need to honor this beautiful area overpowered my fear!
Tennessee Farmscape with Cedars
I guess this is the painting that made me realize I was onto something. Ever since I visited the rolling countryside around Limestone, TN, taking hundreds of photos of these small, family-owned farms in the shadow of the Appalachians, I’ve been trying to paint them. It was with this pastel that I realized that I could reach back through my life to those things which caused my soul to soar, and translate them into all those paintings that I’ve longed to bring forth. These are the moments which have kept me alive through the years, moments of beauty, a flash of inspiration, a feeling of “that’s just beautiful” and wanting to share this somehow with others. So, you could say that this painting was even more important than the first one. And let’s see what will happen next…
Thought it would be fun to show how this farmscape would look in a typical 10" by 8" tabletop frame.
Donna Kazo's Black Paper Pastels 