Every year my husband and I embark on a journey across the country. The drive is long but we find ourselves influenced creatively by many views along the way. Often we leave the main highways and head down a side road, sometimes growing slightly lost as we explore, always gathering worthwhile inspiration.

Countryside sightings of old barns stand out like weathered monuments. Some are anchored into hillsides, some are surrounded by undulating fields and others are built on flat lands. Tall crops sway in the breeze. Field roads wind through the corn and grain like ribbons. Hills and trees, fields and farms, and pastures dotted with sheep and cows offer visual paintings to the minds eye. We appreciate the older farmsteads and barns that remain intact as they grow more scarce with every passing year. It is this inspiration that led me to paint a tribute to the ribbon roads and red barns of rural America.

The paintings are not romanticized, they are fresh, bold, and joyful. Painted in oil - most on an 18-inch x 24-inch canvas using strong colors and stylized brushwork with a playful touch.

Joy To The Wind Gallery will be featuring this work through the month of August with an artist reception Friday, Aug. 1 from 5-7 p.m.

The gallery, located at 34 Atlantic Ave. in Boothbay Harbor, is open daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.  joytothewind.com