Romantic Rural by Elizabeth Wonnacott at the Inn at Lynden

October 8 – January 31, 2020

The Jansen Art Center is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Wonnacott to the Inn at Lynden for an exhibit of her work. The exhibit opens on Tuesday, October 8 and will be on display through January, 2020.

ARTIST STATEMENT

There is something hauntingly beautiful about left behind barns that stirs my imagination. Creating this exhibit has enabled me to explore the connection between what is real and my own sentimental and romantic perspective.  When I see abandoned barns I wonder who lived there, what families depended upon these barns and outbuildings, what crops did they raise, and finally, why did they leave? With my romantic perspective I consider these architectural beauties and imagine brimming haylofts, the variety of livestock and abundant, fragrant harvests. As I paint, I conjure a vision that life on these homesteads was charming and simpler.

I have deliberately painted idealized images of the barns, the people and the animals as a way of honoring this aspect of our Americana. The agrarian life has changed dramatically and modernized. Hardworking and dedicated families still provide the essential sustenance of our lives. The barns and scenes I have created represent our romantic pastoral history, and I hope in some modest way, I have honored all that is rural.

A common feature in my artwork is the dramatic depiction of light and shadow and very simple compositions. I imagine my colors in full sunlight to emphasize detail and use shadow to simplify, balance and add essential compositional elements. All of my paintings are created in oil paints and I use my photography as a source of inspiration.