Old Giants

Day 26: March has had it’s share of overcast, rainy days. Today was full of sun, that laid rich shadows across the planes of weathered wood and rolling meadows. The barns in today’s painting were once strong, vital structures, but nature has a way of reclaiming it’s own. The play of the shadows on the broken siding and the pierced walls breaking open to the sky, gives today’s subject a sculptural effect. These old barns are good examples, showing that there is beauty when time and weather become the artist.
I grew up hearing my Dad proclaim “let’s go for a drive”. My sisters and I would pile in the old green Rambler, calling out our claim to seats. My favorite place to ride was in the back, laying down with a pillow propped up against the back seat. I could see the clouds race by or watch the farms as they disappeared in the distance (I must have had a stronger stomach when I was younger). Going for a drive is almost a forgotten activity these days, where everything has a purpose and every journey has a destination. When I was a kid, the purpose of a drive was to see deer, turkey, new buildings, washouts, clouds, neighbors and to open the windows on steamy evenings and play with the wind. We drove over paved road and dirt roads and some that were questionable roads.
What strikes me now, is how my parents knew everyone within a 5 mile radius, and 90% of the people within a 10 mile radius. Today, I can’t say that I know everyone on my road... I think it may be time to relearn the fine art of “goin’ for a drive”.
“Old Giants” watercolor 3”x5” (SOLD)

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