Lee Sprunger Family Barn
This well-maintained barn is referred to as a Switzer barn or Pennsylvania barn. It is a two-level cantilevered barn dating from the late 1800s. This beautiful structure was built from hand-hewn timbers all pegged; a few sawmill-cut timbers are interspersed.
The upper level is still accessible via an earthen ramped approach. Storage for hay, grain and bedding were on this level. The lower level or stable area of the barn housed horses, cattle and calves. It opens to the east, important for animal comfort.
Wooden louvered vents were strategically placed around the structure. Many are seen in the painting. The ventilation provided animal comfort as well as air circulation for drying hay and grain. The Sprunger family has tended their barn and farm with care for more than 60 years.
The winter evening light emphasizes the beauty in the Sprunger barn captured in the painting. The warm golden tips of the branches accentuate the reds on the barn. I photographed it in December 2009. It was too cold to paint on location. Later, I used my reference photographs and notes and completed the 18 x 36 inch oil painting in my studio.
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.
