A year of paintings on the Horsebarn Hill

The idea of a year of painting every day on Horsebarn Hill came to me sometime in the spring of 2019. I have painted the hill for a couple of years. The place grew in me, after many long walks under its high skies bathed in light. I watched how the landscape changed along a day, from fresh crisp mornings to glowing evenings to deep nights scattered with stars. The seasons have rolled over the hill, bringing something new every day, like the ever-changing expression of a silent god covered with grass, rocks and trees, bearing effigies of barns and stables, its eyes gleaming between clouds. And across all these changes, something has remained constant, an enduring quality of the open landscape, generously greeting and bringing together everyone. On Horsebarn Hill, children fly kites, prospective students get acquainted with the UConn Dairy Bar, couples walk hand in hand, and locals walk their dogs. Here is where we brought our young daughters to watch for the first time a moon eclipse, and then years later, we joined the entire town gathered on the hill to watch a sun eclipse. We brought our friends during their visit. We  practiced yoga and meditated on the hill. We visited the cows, horses, and chickens. We circumambulated the hill through scorching sun, pouring rain, and freezing wintery wind. So many memories are nestles in the geography of this place. I envision a tapestry of oil paintings holding together an entire year of stories from Horsebarn Hill.
 
The first painting shows the old landscape barn watching over the hill:
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Horsebarn Hill: The Red Barn, oil, 10 x 10 in.