Last week, I took a painting class from master watercolorist, Paul Oman, on painting elevators. After years of living on the prairie, these are some of my favorite structures. There is something special about their functional design, outstanding presence on the prairie landscape – and in harvest season, they are actually a small village on to themselves. In their heyday, they were truly the central hub of the agricultural community. So it was a shock for me when after the class, as I was surfing through elevator images from across Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, to discover that they are virtually in decline. Many have already collapsed and are mere ruins in the incredibly flat landscapes of the region.
It was fun to follow through with practices learned from Paul for painting railroad tracks, corrugated surfaces of the actual elevators, and the hazy atmospheric light only seen on prairie landscapes. Part of my ongoing “Lilties Series,” this week’s painting is Prairie Star, 4” x 6” and a tribute to these amazing elevators.
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