The character of old barn shapes inspires me to continue this series of old structures around Iowa. This one is gone and I have worked from my reference photo. It was a very dark, dilapidated barn and was leaning precariously.

The composition and drawing is my first concern. Second are the interlocking shapes and colors that bring it to life. I use my hand-painted, acrylic collage papers. Using thick acrylic paint with a rubber brayer, I apply the globs of paint to a thin, white paper so the end result appears to be a painted artwork. I mix the colors directly on the paper and combine multiple colors that give texture and body to my images.

I used two reference photos for this design. One being the barn and the other a windmill from another location. Tiny flowers or weeds were added to the composition and lead the eye around the picture. A limited palette was used to create unity and harmony.