Barn. Rural Ontario, near Cambridge. 1983.
Water colour on paper with ink.
This painting is one of Anna’s earliest and yet one of her most evocative. It marks another of her passions in terms of subject area: man-made structures set in nature, and yet without a human being in sight. Maybe we are meant to set ourselves in the picture if we feel the need for human occupation?
In Anna’s words:
“At the time I did this painting, I was just starting out. I was just learning to mix paint, and yet I was also starting to feel a sense of confidence in my skills.
“This barn was obviously very isolated, there was not a soul around. It gives a powerful feeling of abandonment, and if the barn is saying: ‘How dare you leave me? I am still standing!’”