Winter Coats

Winter Coats - by Greg Newbold, 2008

 Oil on mounted canvas panel- 18 3/4" x 12"
Collection of Richard and Jan Newbold

Last night I fell asleep before I turned off the cooler. Big mistake.On hot nights we let it run hoping that by morning the house will be cool enough to withstand the heat of the day without becoming a sweatbox. That's one of the drawbacks of an older house with no central air ( but I also don't relish the thought of actually paying for central air so we make do with the swamp cooler).  Well this morning we were tempted to turn on the furnace, but resisted. Cold weather will be here soon enough, and I am just going to enjoy the mild fall weather. This particular painting is one I did last winter as part of my MFA thesis project. It is based on photos taken of the animals at our old family homestead. Our family all spent many years caring for the homestead and the animals there as my Great Aunt Mame had no children of her own. I have many fond memories of feeding and caring for the sheep and other animals there on frigid winter afternoons. My Aunt Jan felt the same and bought the painting as a Christmas present for my Uncle Richard last year (they can name several of the sheep in the picture, so it was very personal to them). I truly believe that the best art emerges from the things we know the best and love the most.