Off The Easel :: “Just Before The Storm”

Just Before The Accident. ©2011 Janice Tanton.
"Just Before The Accident." ©2011 Janice Tanton. Oil on linen. 48x48

This is the last image that our family saw as we were coming back from a trip to the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, AB in 2010. After this….we saw nothing but three feet of snow and sleet ahead of us on the road. An extreme freak storm in April claimed the lives of eight people in road accidents all around us. We were very lucky.

Our truck and car were both damaged – the car being totalled, but luckily we were all unharmed….physically. Our entire family, including grandparents were in both cars and the consequences of what COULD have happened haunt us all today.

The red barn is a cautionary flag. The wire fence (although able to temporarily define boundaries, hold some things in and hold other things out) is a reminder that although we might be travelling along thinking we’re protected in our metal box cars, it really doesn’t take much for Mother Nature to pierce that armour and have her way with us.

False fenses….(and a false sense of security) are all around us.

“Just Before The Accident” is available at Elevation Gallery.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Lori McNee

    I love these old red barns and Americana scenes. Beautiful Janice!

  2. Alan McGinn

    “..and the sky turned black and bruised and we had a month of heavy rains. There was a murder in the red barn.” – from ‘Murder in the Red Barn’ by Tom Waits. I love the ominous sky in this painting and with the red barn it just reminded me of this song wqhich if you don’t know it, you should check it out.

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