Drawing Larger

 I've done some larger charcoal drawings but have never gone larger than 8" X 10" in pen, that changed this week with this fairly complex 11" X 14" rural landscape drawing.

"The Barn Has Seen Better Days" 11" X 14" Pen on paper

This drawing is loosely based on a scene I found in the rural Utah town of Morgan.  I simplified the barn and surrounding space a little.  For example there were about eight or so tires leaning against each other in a row against the barn not two and there was more fencing and junk to the left. The cluster of cottonwood trees were there but they were not behind the barn but rather much farther to the right. I think I about went cross eyed drawing all of that foliage.  Also the distant hill was lower.  The tractor was actually there in that spot.  The fenced corner was there but had beefy, square posts...and a goat. 

I took the reference photo years ago, given the state of the barn at that time I'd be surprised if it's still standing. 

Here are a few detail closeups.

Abandoned Model AA Ford Truck Pen Drawing

 I'm finding I'm enjoying pen drawing more than ever and have completed another one this week.

Most people are not aware of Ford's truck history.  While Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 they didn't introduce a truck version until 1917, called the Model TT.  The Model TT has essentially the same chassis and drivetrain as the Model T except for a worm drive rear axle that was geared lower for more torque and heavier springs to increase the load rating to one ton. Even then Ford didn't supply a full body, just the front fenders and hood.  The buyer had to supply a body himself or send the chassis to a body manufacturer to fit the body type of his choice. Ford did start supplying a full body until 1922, a steel cab with a wood bed.  In 1925 Ford finally offered a light duty pickup body on the Model T chassis.  

By the time the one ton Model AA came out in 1927 Ford offered several body styles.  An abandoned Model AA is the subject of my latest pen drawing.  The truck in my drawing is equipped with a wood bed with removable wood sides, I don't know if this was a bed supplied by Ford.

"Abandoned Model AA Ford Truck" Prints Available

This was a fun drawing to create and I guess you could say I've now got a series of pen drawings of abandoned Ford trucks.

(the original drawing is sold, but prints are available, click on the image)

Getting back into Pen Drawing

 I took a sharp turn from the impressionist and abstract acrylic painting and picked up the pen this week. 

"Rural Horse Shed Pen Dwg" Prints available

To warm up my pen drawing skills I started with this small sketchbook drawing of a simple rural landscape.  The drawing is based on a photograph I took in Eden, Utah in Ogden Valley during autumn. The old horse shed appears to be no longer used as there is no path leading up to it and it's somewhat in disrepair.  I modified the composition a bit from the photograph by moving the light colored tree to the left so the shed overlapped it.

"Abandoned 1963 Ford Farm Truck" Prints Available"

For my second drawing this week I chose a more complicated composition and drew it a bit larger.  I don't remember where I took the reference before but it was basically a ready made subject, I changed very little from the photograph.  As usual, I'm never sure what I find appealing about such subjects but these old abandoned trucks just call to me to be painted or drawn, especially when surrounded by such interesting debris. 

Two New Charcoal Drawings...and a Video

 I have two new charcoal drawings to share along with a video.

"Shadow Ditch"
Charcoal, 8" X 10"

This drawing is based on a photo I took while walking the Jordan River Parkway.  The "JRP" is a trail system that runs from Utah Lake in the south down to the Great Salt Lake in the north along the Jordan River. This appears to be some kind of irrigation ditch that is in danger of becoming overgrown by vegetation but that makes for an interesting scene.

"Rural Autumn Bushes"
Charcoal, watercolor, pastel 8" X 10"

This charcoal drawing is a little different in that it is mixed media while still being primarily a charcoal drawing.  I started with subtle washes of watercolor, followed by charcoal drawing and finished off with some color highlights using pastel. The scene is somewhere in rural Utah, I don't remember exactly where.  The season is late autumn and so there is little foliage left and the skies are gloomy, a perfect subject for charcoal.

I shot video of the creation of this drawing, watch it below.

Charcoal Drawing Demo Video and a Bit of Art Philosophy

 I don't make videos often anymore.  They take a fair bit of time to make and they haven't been getting many views, but I do think it's worthwhile to make one every now and then anyway.  I did decide to make a video this week, but with a slight twist.  I demo a small charcoal landscape drawing, I talk about the tools I use and about the scene itself and where I found it, and then the twist, I give a brief history of my art "career" and then talk a little philosophy, the "why" of making art.  Give it a watch, it might actually be worth a few minutes of your time.

Keeping it Subtle

Click on image to enlarge

"Bygones"

$160

12" X 16", Charcoal and soft pastel on paper

While I do enjoy drawing with charcoal I kind of miss color while doing so.  If you look at my paintings you'll notice I tend to get pretty colorful with them much of the time.  I've added color to charcoal paintings in the last by first applying a watercolor wash and adding a few pastel pencil marks at the end.  I decided to try something a little different this time.  I did start out intending to do just a straight up charcoal drawing but as I went along I couldn't help imagine it with some color.  First I just applied some ochre tinted charcoal to the foreground but that wasn't enough.  So I got out my pastel painting travel box and picked out a few pastels with grayish tones that fit the theme of the drawing.  I was concerned that the Arches hot pressed watercolor paper I was using wouldn't have enough tooth to hold the pastel so I made sure to keep a light touch.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the paper take the pastel quite well, though only light layering is possible.  Just the fact that the pastel was being mixed with charcoal kept the colors on the gray side but I made sure to use colors that would not overpower the drawing.  Bright, saturated colors alongside charcoal just wouldn't look right, at least not with this subject.  I'm pretty happy with how this worked out, I'm sure I'll mix pastel and charcoal more often in the future.

As for the subject, it's an early 1970's Ford heavy truck.  I'm not sure exactly which year or model but it had a gross weight rating sticker on it for 21,000 lbs. so it was pretty heavy duty.  I found it sitting in a field on a ranch or farm in Leamington, Utah.  Leamington is a very small town in west central Utah yet I enjoyed exploring it very much, it had a few abandoned tractors, trucks and cars as well as just having the general appeal of a rural town out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by open space.  I saw very little movement while I was out there and heard even less, the kind of place I think I'd like to retire to.  As for the title, "Bygones" I'm honestly not sure where it came from or how it applies to this drawing.  Sometimes the title for a piece comes to me before I even start working on it, however more often than not I don't come up with a title until I'm finished and need to post it online, that's what happened to me with this one.  While I was uploading the file the title just kind of popped into my head, I'm not sure what it means but for some reason it seems perfect.

Drawing the Mundane

I seem to be drawn to intimate scenes that I suppose others might consider to be mundane.  I see the romance in an old fence post, nature's glory in grass growing along a ditch and wonder in the knots of a tree trunk, so of course these things make it into my art.

Click on image to enlarge

"Rural Fence"

8" X 10", mixed media on paper

Original Available on ebay

What does this little scene make you think of?  How does it make you feel?  For me it makes me think of the relative quiet of rural open land, the slight summer breeze making the grass sway as it cools my skin.  I also imagine the hands that built that fence and how time has aged it.  How big was that tree when the fence was originally built?  It was probably small and over time has grown to actually become part of the fence, as well as provide shade for the cows. I get a sense of peace, of tranquility when I'm in a scene like this or when I paint or draw it.  Maybe I'm being a little sappy but I just can't help it.  

This drawing is a mixed media piece.  I started out with some light watercolor washes and then drew the whole thing with charcoal pencils and erasers then I applied a bit more color in spots using pastel pencils.  The result is a subtly colored drawing that I feel is in keeping with the calm feeling of actually being out in the rural landscape.

Late Afternoon Light

I think the lighting during late autumn is often the most dramatic.  In particular late afternoon just an hour or two before the sun hits the horizon, the light is low but bright, the trees are nearly bare yet the ground is not yet covered in snow.  I think this situation creates a stark contrast between light and shadow with ground foliage still showing to add interest.  I think taking a walk amongst nature alone at these times has a very special mood that's hard to describe in words, so I tried to describe it in a charcoal drawing.

"Late Afternoon Walk"

9.5" X 12", charcoal on paper

The  drawing is based on a photo I took in the South Jordan area of the Jordan River Parkway.  This was one of the few places on the parkway where there is a significant hill to climb or descend, it's fairly steep and not real short.  I think the perspective of looking uphill added to the effect.  I made some small composition changes, adding the distant bush at the upper right and the distant hill for balance.  I think I captured the mood pretty well, makes me want to go out for a late afternoon walk.

The Moody Landscape

One of the things I enjoy about using charcoal is the sense of moodiness you can create with it.  Maybe it's just me though, but it seems with paint I tend towards bright, colorful and sunny whereas with charcoal I tend more towards dark and moody, the medium just lends itself to that.  Here's my latest example;

"Landscape Study I"

10" X 14" charcoal on paper

I did this charcoal drawing as a study for a painting, one that I've already started and guess what, it's turning out sunny and colorful, oh well, I gotta be me.

A Rare Winter Drawing

Everybody who knows me knows that I am not a fan of winter.  Short days and inclement weather keep me indoors.  Not that I mind being indoors, just not this much, I need some outdoor time too and during the winter I get very little.  I'll admit, I have a very low tolerance for cold, freezing especially so it doesn't have to be dark or snowing or even windy to keep me indoors, just cold. It's probably for those reasons that winter makes a rare appearance in my art, this is one of those rare occurrences.

"Snowbound GMC"

6" X 6", charcoal on paper

I discovered this little scene with the old snow covered GMC grain truck in the small, rural town of Eden, Utah a couple years ago.  The background was actually cluttered with modern vehicles in a parking lot, I changed it to a simple natural background.  The dimensions on this one are 6" X 6", a small a square, I might make a series of drawings in this format.

Enter the Forest

I've been a bit slack about the blog, a little slack in general really but at least I recently finished another charcoal drawing.

"Enter the Forest"

charcoal, 10" X 8"

This drawing is based on a photo taken during one of my many hikes up in the Wasatch Mountains.  This one in particular was taken up above Lake Mary at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon.  I love how the density of the evergreen tree forest creates a sense of mystery about what one might find when following the path therein.  I tried to enhance the mood by making the drawing even darker than the photo, being black and white also enhances that effect.

I have a large drawing on the easel as well that I pick at every now and then.  Here is a work in progress photo of it.

As you can see it's going to be a mysterious forest drawing also.  I believe it will end up being in the neighborhood of 22" X 16".  Here is a close up of an area that is now mostly finished.

So you can see I'm still going strong on my charcoal kick.  I love the simplicity and kinds of mood that can be created with this basic yet challenging medium.  My charcoal fascination my never end.

A Variety of Charcoal Studies

I'm still very much focused on charcoal.  I find working with charcoal to be both fun and educational.  Charcoal sketches are a good way to test ideas for compositions before committing to paint, but they are works of art in their own right.  The last two weeks (yes, I missed last week) I've experimented with a variety of subjects.

"Roots II"

12" X 9", Charcoal on Paper

This is the second in my series of roots studies.  Not only was it a study in roots and nature it was an experiment in charcoal technique.  I wanted to do a better job of getting rid of the little white specks of paper showing through so I did a lot more blending and used more powdered charcoal.

"Barn Study I"

9" X 12", Charcoal on Paper

Another series begins, hopefully.  Well, as much as I love old, wood barns and rural landscapes I'm pretty confident I'll do more.  While "Roots II" was pretty good I felt maybe it was a little overworked so my goal with "Barn Study I" was to dial that back and bit and still have the same effect.  I treated this one in a more sketchy way, working faster and not so deliberate about shapes and details, I think it worked pretty well.  I discovered my finger makes a great blender for large areas.  I've formed a new basic technique.  First I go over an area with the woodless charcoal pencil creating the general tones I'm after.  Then I use a Q-tip to apply powdered charcoal over the area blending it as I go then I do further blending with my finger.

"Truck Study I"

8" X 10", Charcoal on paper

And finally we have an abandoned old truck, a 1946 Ford to be more exact.  This was drawing practice as much as charcoal and composition practice.  This scene is partially from a photo reference taken in a small rural Utah town and partially from my imagination.  The truck in the photo didn't have a bed and the tree was farther back and didn't overlap the truck.  The rest is pretty much my invention.  Since this one required more exact drawing it took longer but I still tried to keep it fairly sketchy. 

Stay tuned, I'm sure there will be more to come.

Rural Charcoal Landscapes

It's been a while, over a month I think.  I've been taking a break from blogging but I'm returning now, hopefully I'll post at least once/week from now on.

I've been doing a lot with charcoal lately, experimenting with techniques to get the results I want.  I like the moodiness that's possible with charcoal, it can be both mysterious and soothing. 

"High Desert Hay Field"

8" X 10" charcoal on paper

Both of the drawings I'm showing today are based on photos I took in Ogden Valley, Utah.  Ogden Valley is an interesting place.  At one end of the valley and taking up a large section of the valley is Pineview reservoir where a lot of recreational boating and fishing takes place. This reservoir is surrounded mostly with rural scenes as well as many beautiful nature spots.  Most of northern Utah is considered to be high desert.  High desert differs from the low deserts.  We still have frigid winters and often with plenty of snow fall and enough moisture to still support agriculture and keep rivers flowing so course there are plenty of pockets of natural green, mostly along rivers and other bodies of water.  The area is heavily populated though and with water systems such as irrigation and reservoirs there are lots of areas that are green only due to the management of water by man, too many in my opinion, to the point that natural areas that should be green end up drying up even in a mild drought to keep our lawns green.  I won't get on a soap box about that but Utah has a water management problem that's only getting worse every year and it seems to me not nearly enough is being done to correct it to avoid the destruction of our natural resources.

"Hay Harvest"

8" X 10" charcoal on paper

It's one thing to consume water for life sustaining reasons such as to support agriculture but it's another reason to consume millions of gallons of water every year just to keep lawns green.  Ya, green lawns are nice but we live in a desert here, our priorities are out of wack.  It's far more important in my opinion to keep the wetlands wet than to keep your lawn green or your car clean.  Sorry, I guess I did get on the soap box a bit there, this wasn't my intention when  I started writing this blog post but there it is so I'll leave it.

I usually only talk about my art in my blog posts, so I'll talk about today's art in relation to my little rant.  Both of these charcoal drawings show agricultural scenes, hay fields in particular.  Hay is grown a lot in northern Utah, not just because it's needed to support the cattle industry but because it's relatively easy to grow in our arid conditions, a responsible use of our land in my opinion, though I'll admit I don't know or understand all the details, I'm not a farmer. Another thing I think these drawings show is that the high desert is beautiful.  Besides the hay fields all the flora depicted in these drawings is more or less natural.  I'll admit some of the trees wouldn't be there if not for the existence of the canals and ditches used for irrigation but many trees will spring up in areas where there is no discernible water source, nature has it's ways.  But even the natural grass and chamisa (rabbit brush) depicted in the foreground is beautiful in it's own way.  Desert does not mean "lack of life", life and beauty are abundant nearly everywhere, we just need to open our eyes, minds and heart to it.

A Sketch, From Plein Air to Studio

Sometimes making art on location (plein air) just doesn't work out.  There are all kinds of challenges.  There's a time limit, you don't have long before the light changes so much that the scene you started to sketch just isn't there anymore.   Then there are environmental factors, wind, sun, rain, noise, bugs, animals, people, etc, all kinds of things that interfere or distract.  There's also the challenge of having a limited "studio" with you.  You just can't pack all the supplies and materials your studio holds and it seems like almost without fail you forget to pack something.  For these reasons and more my attempts at making a finished work of art on location more often fail that not.  This is a story about one of those failures that was later resuscitated in the studio.

On Memorial Day I decided to spend half the day up in a local canyon to attempt the charcoal sketching techniques I'd been developing in the studio, on location.  I had some success in the studio so I was confident, well nature humbled me pretty quick.  I parked along the highway where I could see this copse of trees growing on the mountainside.  I applied some watercolor washes mostly in green.  My intent was to keep the color subtle, it came out even more subtle than I expected.   People complain about color shift with acrylics as they dry, my experience is watercolor is far worse.   It's darned near impossible to draw with charcoal on a damp surface so waiting for the paper to dry is a bit aggravating. 
Remember those environmental factors I mentioned before?  Well, it was a nice enough day, a bit breezy but not enough to be annoying but made things a little cool for comfort.  The big problem I had was noise.  I was sitting just a few feet off the highway and being a holiday, thousands of people were traveling to the mountains, the traffic noise was irritating to say the least and by the end of the morning I had a headache.  The main thing the noise did was make it hard for me to get into the "zone", that state where the world disappears and you are alone with your drawing or painting.  It also didn't help that my subject was on the other side of the highway so I was seeing all those noise makers rushing by.
Finally the paper was dry enough to get serious about applying the charcoal.  The session seemed to be going well enough but I just couldn't seem to really get into it and was dissatisfied the whole way.  This makes it sound like I was having a bad time, I really wasn't.  To steal from the fisherman's mantra; "A bad day of plein air is better than a good day at work".  At the time I just chalked it up to experience and learning and pretty much forgot the artwork I'd produced that day once I unpacked it at home.
Fast forward to nearly a month later.  I was looking for some watercolor paper to use for the next project and instead accidently dug up that first sketch from Memorial Day.  With the passage of time I could see it with fresh eyes and realized there was some potential there.  Instead of starting that other project I started reworking that plein air sketch and this is the result;

"Nature Study No 3"

Charcoal on paper with watercolor wash 9.8" X 6.9"

The end result has a classical feel that I really like, it was definitely worth the time to refine this plein air sketch in the studio.  Occasionally I find that I can save previously failed artwork attempts...sometimes, some still die on the easel despite all attempts to save them.

Another Charcoal Study

I can't explain how meditative charcoal drawing can be, at least the way I do it.  While I enjoy doing it I'm not sure I'd call it fun, it seems too quiet and serious for that.  I've always felt a close connection with the subject when drawing, more so than with painting I think.  When drawing I'm going much slower and studying the details deeper and without the distractions of mixing color.  Sure, color has it's place and can be a lot of fun, but the simplicity of only having grays to work with has it's own reward.  Anyway, without further delay here is my latest small charcoal study;

"Vehicle Study No 1"

5" X 7" Charcoal on paper

This abandoned early 1950's International Harvester truck resides right in the middle of the suburbs of Utah County in Pleasant Grove.  The immediate area is still somewhat agricultural but is also surrounded by housing developments, it's kind of like the calm in the eye of the storm.  In the actual scene there is a tractor parked behind the truck, to keep the drawing simpler I replaced the tractor with bushes from another reference photo.

The Start of a New Series

It's just one so far but hopefully the first of many to come.  I've decided to start a series of small charcoal drawings for a couple reasons.  First, to develop my skills with the medium.  Charcoal is a relatively new medium for me but one I'm finding to be possibly a very good match for my temperament and for what I want to express and how I want to express it.  At least for now charcoal is my primary medium and I think doing a series of small studies of various subjects will help me develop my skills with the medium a bit more efficiently than tackling nothing but big projects.  Second, to test different materials, primarily paper.  Possibly the most difficult thing, I'm running into materials wise is finding the ideal surface to work on.  Charcoal is coarse grained so it needs enough tooth in the paper to hold those particles but I also enjoy detail, especially on vehicles which is hard to get on toothy paper, the studies will hopefully help me to find a paper that is a happy medium.  Without further delay here is my first study in this new series;

"Nature Study No 1"

7" X 5", charcoal on paper

This small drawing is based on a photo I took during one of my many hikes in the Wasatch Mountains.  This is actually just a small part of the photo and it is very simplified compared to the photo.  I also changed the value pattern somewhat compared to the photo.  There were some very bright spots in the background, I subdued them.  I also darkened the tree trunk some near the top so that column of light tone doesn't take you eye right out of the picture.  I used mostly a reductive technique.  Reductive means I applied a base of charcoal to an area and then removed charcoal to create the light areas.  Larger light toned areas such as the tree trunk were kept light from the start. I used a kneaded eraser, poster tack and a Tuff Stuff vinyl eraser cut to a chisel point to remove charcoal. The paper is Arches 140 lb hot pressed watercolor paper. I think this paper is about as toothy as I'd want to use, but I might try some that are more textured just for experimentation.





Tractor in Charcoal

Okay, I've shown you sheds and barns in charcoal, I decided it's time put some wheels on it.

"Wistful"

12" X 16" Charcoal and watercolor

A vintage Farmall tractor sits abandoned in a grassy field looking towards a stand of cottonwood trees being looked over by a distant hill and backlit clouds.  These old Farmall tractors are scattered all over rural Northern Utah.  This one with it's unusual configuration and attachment is part of a collection in Wallsburg.  I haven't been able to figure out what those things do that are mounted just behind the fuel tank, but there sure are a lot of levers and linkages involved.  The field is more or less from my imagination, the trees from another reference photo taken somewhere in the Heber Valley and the clouds from yet another reference photo taken in some rural area.
I didn't know what I was going to call this drawing until close to halfway through.  The composition along with the use of charcoal created a mood.  I couldn't put my finger on it at first but as the drawing went along it came more into focus.  This lone tractor sitting in a disused field seems to look off into the distance with longing for the days when it could have been put to use to till that field, now it just sits all broke down, a shadow of it's former self and can only wistfully recall those days long ago.  Yes, I just anthropomorphized a farm tractor.  Yes, the tractor is just an inanimate object, but at one time in the hands of an operator it was very animated, and did a lot of work achieved a lot of constructive aims.  Can anyone look at a scene like this and not project some kind of human emotion on it?  Haven't we all felt at one time or another similar to how this tractor must feel if it could feel?  I remember showing my Mom my first abandoned truck painting and it actually seemed to make her a bit sad and her first comment was, "It just seems so lonely.".  She must be getting used to my style because when she looked at this one she didn't have that reaction but she did look at it a good bit.
I never really intend to get philosophical with my art though I do want it show the beauty of the subject and to evoke some kind of emotion, without meaning to I think this drawing took my intentions a step deeper, or maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age.
Now for the nuts and bolts.  At 12" X 16" this is the biggest drawing I've ever done, and is about as big as I can comfortably work on with my current drawing table.  I've tried drawing at an easel several times but I just don't have enough control for that plus it hurts my shoulder more, so 12" X 16" may be as big as I get, we'll see. I started with Arches hot press paper in a block, (I don't really want to stretch paper.) and after a light and simple graphite sketch I applied some subtle watercolor washes.  After the washes dried the rest was just straight up drawing using charcoal pencils, stumps, tortillons, and erasers.

More Experimentation With Charcoal

After a short return to painting I decided to revisit charcoal.  First I did this small drawing;

 

"Wheeler Farm Shed"

Charcoal, 9.45" X 6.92"

Small works are a good way to get lots of practice with a medium in a relatively short time so these first few charcoal experiments have been on the small side.  However, at least for me drawing still takes considerably more time than painting.  Working small also allows me to try different kinds of paper, in this case I used Stonehenge which I found to have a little more texture than I like but I made it work.  The drawing showcases how charcoal is good at providing strong contrasts.  The subject is a shed at a local working historic farm owned by Salt Lake County.  I took a little liberty with the scene, in particular I added a window to the shed.

I have to admit I missed color a bit so I wondered how to put color in a charcoal drawing without having the color compete with the charcoal.  I decided to try an experiment, this is the result;

 

"Soon Forgotten"

Watercolor, charcoal and pastel, 7" X 10"

I started with Arches hot pressed watercolor paper for this one.  After lightly outlining the composition in graphite I applied watercolor washes in various subtle colors.  Once the  paper was dry I started drawing using the charcoal.  Every now and then I decided it needed a touch more color and used pastel pencil but I was always careful to keep it subtle.   I still wanted this to look like a charcoal drawing, just with a bit of color.  To finish I splattered a bit of watercolor in the foreground to add texture and interest.  The subject is a scene that used to exist in the lot next to where I live.  Unfortunately the owner sold the lot where he used to keep sheep and horses to a developer who promptly leveled everything, (why couldn't they have at least saved the apple tree?) that was nearly two years ago, the lot is still empty.  Luckily I took photos before the lot was cleared, so I guess this little drawing is a tribute of sorts.  I really like how this turned out, it has a bit of a tonalist look. I'm sure I'll be experimenting with this process more.





Oops! I Lost My Color Again!

In my last blog post I alluded to the fact that I've been playing with a long lost medium lately.  Well, not long lost so much as neglected.  I think I've tried just about every art medium on the planet so I have a lot of art supplies that seldom get used, charcoal is one of them.

"Midway Barn"

Charcoal on paper, 11.3" X 8.5"

Original - $100

"Midway Barn" is my first complete charcoal drawing.  I used hot pressed watercolor paper.  I have some paper labeled as being for charcoal but the texture was more aggressive than I like and it was a laid texture which means it has a mechanical weave appearance that just doesn't look natural.  I might try Bristol smooth paper for the next drawing. 

There's something about the simplicity of using a single pencil to create a piece of art, it just feels so authentic and meditative while making it. 

The drawing is based on a photo I took in the small rural farming community of Midway, Utah in the Heber Valley on the opposite side of the Wasatch Mountains from Provo.  Midway has lost a little of it's small town charm over the years though, it's become a popular resort area and much of the surrounding area has been developed.  This barn however is just a couple blocks from downtown. I took some liberties by changing the shape of the barn a bit, removing a home in the background, adding a dirt road in front and making the field more "wild".