Old Barn

Old Barn Stage One

This old barn was located near the North River in Hanover.   One side of this street looked like an average suburban neighborhood with houses and their two car garages sitting behind emerald green manicured lawns. The other side of the street looked as if it was out in the middle of the countryside.   The barn looked old and weather beaten, it's red iron oxide trim bleached to pink by decades of sunshine.   The roof was missing large sections of shingles and the large barn doors were wide open.   Another farm structure sat beyond it by about 150 yards, also looking rough and weathered.

Old Barn Stage Two

It was cloudy but bright at first and as time went on, it became more overcast and damp.   For paint-outs, the clouds offer a more consistent scene for a longer period of time since there are no distinct, shifting shadows.  Although the light and contrasts weren't as pronounced, effectively matching this scene meant using a middle range of values.   Since it was October, I toned the greens down with naples yellow and pink.   The meadow grasses had a burnt sienna and gold look to them, and I added some sky blue to account for the distance.   The metal gate was teal gray with splotches of rust.  I liked how its cross rails pointed toward the barn.

If you can feel the moisture of the day or imagine smelling the earthy grasses and fermenting apples through this scene, then it was somewhat successful.  Those are the aspects of the scene I would remember along with the fall colored muted by clouds.

When I finished this up, my initial impression was that it was somewhat dull.   When I got it back to the studio however, I was happy with the harmonious palette.  It matched the day, bright but gray.  A minor issue required adjustments as my easel must have been crooked since the barn verticals appeared slightly skewed.   Would you believe that a barn this old could actually be out of plumb?   Of course - but it wasn't out of plumb - my easel was.   I straightened the cupola and walls back in the studio.

This is one of my newest favorites, lots of thick plein air paint.  I'll post the final version to my website soon.