My inspiration for this piece came from traveling through the Iowa countryside the summer of 1995. I wanted to document local barns because I realized they are rapidly disappearing from the landscape and are interesting structures with lots of character.

This particular barn is located near Seymour, Iowa. I’m not sure if it’s still there. What drew me to this barn was the leaning cupola on top and the strong shadow patterns. I wanted to capture the texture of the weathered boards.

I was also interested in presenting the design in a square format, instead of the typical horizontal composition; it adds strength to the barn structure, enhancing the angles and shapes. I added the sheep because farm animals are important to Iowa life — these add bright color and whimsy to the design.