barns post

post #39
      How sweet when a simple photo assignment provides an artistic thrill.  And what an amazing moment when it dawns on me that, hey, I have my very own weekly blog where I could show and tell about it! The subject matter was a barn, so the s in today's title is not a typo.  (Whew)
        The assignment was in 2008, and the blog awareness moment was last week. Yes, it took me awhile to put the work and the awareness together.  What can I say.  So, with thanks to the Kentucky Arts Council for doing a book of 40 pages featuring examples of painted quilt squares hung on the outside of barns, many of which are in eastern Kentucky counties, here is a bit of the story.

earliest - 6:42 a.m.

       
       In my small county there are over 70 barns where a quilt square design has been installed.  They are first painted on plywood and then need a small crane to be lifted into place once they are brought to the barn. I looked on line for the locations of all our county's barns showing quilt art.  (I guess this gives a new meaning for having quilts out on the line!)
      Anyway, I was told to choose any barn from my county to photograph and then email the KAC some photos to chose from.  They'd even pay for this, but they needed it soon.
         The barn I ended up using was one I already knew about since it is nearby and I've known its owner, Gene Binion, for over forty years.  I also realized it faced the rising sun to make a more interesting light to work with.  So, early the next morning, there I was, all by myself, trying out views.  

7:02 a.m.

       The barn is on a ridge, and what I loved most was to discover what happened when the sun rose high enough over the hills to the east to create its own brief and unexpected pattern through the gate.  I imagined it writing out good morning, in sun language.  I still treasure that discovery.

spider web quilt square, my personal favorite of these photos, 7:03 a.m.

      The KAC decided to use the earliest photo in their booklet, which I am assuming provided a balance of landscape with other photos from other counties.  I loved the excuse to be out there that beautiful morning and now to share these moments in Sideway Views.