Burcham Family Round Barn
In 1909, John Hess built this round barn for the maternal Grandfather of the Burcham family. The barn’s centrally located silo facilitated the distribution of silage to the livestock because all of the animal pens radiated out from the central silo.
One could climb a ladder on the side of the silo into the cupola, which was a hideaway with a view, visited by young family members!
Sheep were raised in the barn. Opening a small animal door on the perimeter of the barn could move them from pasture to pasture. While hearing this bit of history, I imagined the barn and fencing, if viewed from above, must have resembled a wheel hub (the barn) and spokes (the fencing).
During the 1960s, this barn was a favorite destination for barn dances. In 2009 severe winds tore at the damaged barn roof, which caused the total destruction of this barn.
The cool early morning light curved around the surface of this barn. Reflected light into the shadows produced an array of subtle hues visible only to the eye of the artist painting on location. A gift. It was a gorgeous June morning in 2005 when I set up to oil paint on a canvas 9 x 12 inches.
All the barn paintings are for sale. Please contact Gwen to find out if the painting(s) you are interested in are sold or available.
