Simple Old Barn

Simple Barn Sketchbook Art

If you grow up in Ohio, you’re bound to notice an old barn that stops you in your tracks. There are countless ones scattered around the state, and I often find myself wanting to paint them. When one catches my eye, I’ll snap a photo and quietly file it away for later.

Tonight, while digging through some old iPhone photos looking for a target, I rediscovered this one and decided to give it a run in my sketchbook.

I’m not usually drawn to the color green (honestly, I actually try to avoid it because they always get very electric), but this painting felt like it needed it. What really pulled me in were the colors that emerge as barns age—layers of weathered blues, soft grays, and burnt siennas, all carrying years of texture and history. That sense of time is what I wanted to capture here.

Cheers.