Old Barn, Plein Air

I prefer to paint outdoors when I have the opportunity in the summer. I painted this plein air piece on a warm morning in July last week. The farm has been in the Fry family for generations. When I paint I aim for a "mood" more than a photographic image. The painting should tell the viewer a little bit about how I felt when I viewed the subject.

I was feeling really relaxed and on my game that day, so maybe some of that comes through. It was a perfect morning for plein air and that always cheers me too.

11" x 14"

Turn of the Century Barn

Creativity

According to my mother, I've been an artist since I learned how to hold a pencil at the age of three. In discussing this with other artists over the years, I have learned that it's pretty common. We are "drawn", (pun intended), from a very young age, to create visual images. We like to figure out how things fit together and what we can do to make them look better. We can entertain ourselves for hours and we have great imaginations.

Many of these same characteristics are shared by writers and musicians. Artistic people imagine and create and they are always trying something new. Last month I enrolled in a Creative Writing course and although it is eating into my painting time I am enjoying the writing process very much. I think the act of writing unleashes a different sort of creativity than the act of painting. I'm counting on the two mediums to complement one another and accent each other in the months to come.

This barn is a familiar sight when I drive westward. What made it interesting enough to stop and photograph was the light. You hear that all the time from artists. It's all about the light." Well, that's because it is. This is an early morning just before dawn breaks kind of light.

16"x 20"

oil on linen

Pettisville Barn