Sunrise on the Farm

We recently found this oil painting at an estate sale. Don’t you wonder where this farmhouse was located and who thought it beautiful enough to immortalize in oils? I love how the house is situated so that the front where the porch is faces the morning light. Why did the painter choose to paint from this angle, highlighting the back buildings and the barn with a few brushstrokes creating the suggestion of stacked hay. The two chimneys promise ample warmth in the winter, while the massive tree whispers of cool summer days on the front porch. Do you think there was a town nearby or neighbors to converse with and share the burden of a farmer’s life? I would like to be invited in for tea and scones. I think I’ll wear the simple white gown pictured here. I will be on my best behavior and talk about the weather and ask after the horses. Surely with so much stacked hay there must be horses about the place! I think the people who lived here planned to stay awhile as there are saplings scattered here and there with the hope of fruit in a few years! What would you ask the owners if you joined us for tea?