" BARN SWALLOWS IN AUGUST "
Robert Bateman

950 s/n Paper
20" x 30.25"
$495

"A traditional barn is like a piece of natural landscape. It was built with materials found
in nature in the vicinity. Weather and organisms work on the wood and stone so that
it evolves and changes gradually with time.

This particular barn was built by my grandfather. I can picture him and his brothers
with a gang of neighborhood men working with the new, aromatic white pine beams
and boards. By the time my father was old enough to pitch hay and clean the stable,
the siding was already weathered gray. This oxidized pine is a perfect protective
coating and will last for centuires if the air is allowed to circulate around it. Barns
have to breathe so that the hay will dry. They expand and contract with the weather
and season. Because they are open, the creatures that take advantage of man's
presence make themselves welcome in the barn. This would include a whole
community of lesser forms of life such as insects.

Probably the most obvious natural inhabitant is the barn swallow. Their cheerful
chirps and graceful flight have great appeal. But they have more than aesthetic value.
They eat a great many insects pests. I like their tight, metallic shapes. They make
me think of a beautifully designed small aircraft which, indeed, they are. In August,
every day is like one big happy Sunday school picnic. All of the families of swallows
gather to feed and play and prepare for the fall migration.
Robert Bateman

- 1977 - acrylic on board - 24.125” x 36.375” - Barn Swallows In August -
( Hirundo rustica )

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