Morning at the Red Barn, oil, 16x20"

Hey there, Subscriber!

This painting, intended to be part of a rural landscape series I did a few years ago, remained incomplete until now. Although I was really happy with the barn, the sun breaking through the clouds, and the foreground, something was missing but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Finally...an aha moment! The something missing was sunlight streaming in through the window!

Painting anything is all about using that subject matter as a place to start, but that doesn't necessarily mean exactly what you see makes the best painting. Truth be told, this barn does not have the tree on the far right side, a weather vane on the roof, nor a window on that far wall. And the sun wasn't breaking through the clouds when I shot my reference photo. I had to rely on what I already know to figure out how that early morning light would influence this scene.

I'm thinking it was worth the wait before I finished this baby up!