Sigman Family Tobacco Barn
This tobacco barn was built around 1900. Often barns are built for animals then altered for different endeavors. However, this barn was built specifically for the drying of tobacco.
Four vent doors on each side and three on each gable end provided the needed air circulation for efficient tobacco drying. The vent doors could be adjusted for more or less air as needed.
The tobacco plants are started from seeds in a seedbed in early spring. The resulting plants are put into the ground in mid to late May. The plants are topped to stop their growth in June and July. In late August the tobacco plants are cut and hung in the barn to dry.
Once the tobacco has dried sufficiently, it is taken to a tobacco auction. The beautiful color of the tobacco plants is visible in this fall painting. Five tiers of tobacco plants, hung upside down on wooden sticks, filled the barn to the peak.
The cast shadow on the barn from the windmill was such an interesting addition to the character of this unpainted barn. I set up my easel and proceeded to oil paint the scene. When the cast shadow was exactly where I wanted it, I added it to the barn's surface. It was October 2008 and the canvas size is 18 x 24 inches.
This barn painting made possible, in part, by the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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.
