Gray's Anatomy

I just started working on this little painting. The working title is "Gray Ladies." It's a little different from previous work in that it's a little more industrial. I like the shape and how the shadows give the building depth. It's almost monochromatic.

I'll update this once it's completed.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

I look at a lot of pictures of grain elevators. I have found that Google searches of "grain elevator" brings the most results, with "country elevator" coming in a distant second. "Canada grain elevator" pulls in some of the most beautiful offerings, and "Montana grain elevator" is also a good choice. I can switch out Montana for Iowa or Indiana and still have a worthy selection.

All of these searches have opened up to me a parts of histories that would have otherwise been overlooked -- by me, anyway. I've learned a bit about the importance of the grain elevators, the uses for these prairie giants, and the continued need for them. Even the many of them that are no longer in use fill a void. Like misplaced lighthouses, they continue to be a beacon of existence in otherwise empty fields.

I have just finished this small painting. It is one of my favorites. I like that these stoic buildings seem to be mingling with each other. It's called "Cluster."

Enjoy.

P.S.
I have my own shop on Etsy (tatestreet is the name of my shop). I have recently discovered a photographer who has her own shop and her work is stunning. For those of us who lust over photos of abandoned utilitarian buildings, her work is like romance.

Here is the link to her shop. Check it out: www.etsy.com/shop/MTPhotoJournal?ref=shopinfo_shophome_leftnav

This painting has sold!

Seeing is Believing

As I finished this painting, one of my kids said "I really wish it would snow." I found her comment odd because, up until then, this painting, in my mind, was of a sun-bleached grain elevator. It was not of a snow-covered field, but of a an arid, parched land. Not a chill in the air, but a white-hot stillness that surrendered little relief, even in the shade.

I call this one 'Grain Elevator 8.' No particular reason, except that I've done so many grain elevators, I'm losing track. It is the latest in my experimentation with suggested architecture, where edges become part of the background and foreground.

I'd like to do an entire collection in this style. Hope you like it.