Built: Three Cottages and a Barn

A few days ago I was driving down a back road in my town, going to visit some friends, when I saw, lined up after an old house and long low barn, three tiny cottages, looking like they came out of a fairy tale.




The weathered paint, the peaked roofs, the old windows of the two colorful buildings placed them as antique cabins, salvaged from some small roadside motel.





The third cabin, in the process of construction, has a different kind of charm, with the sloped red roof, square black walls and narrow wrapping porch. Its proportions seem "just right", to quote Goldilocks.




Alongside the cottages is a barn, not the traditional high red-painted building, but a lower one. Its weather scrubbed colors are beautifully harmonious. For decoration, the owners have added automotive elements: a steering wheel as counterpoint to the big square of doors; a red-rusted door, its orange hue contrasting with the blue paint. There is humor here, and an appreciation of shape and texture.




My earliest paintings were of domestic architecture, which I wrote about a bit here, and I still have a great love for interesting buildings and their details. Seeing the cottages has inspired me to begin what I hope will be an occasional series of posts on architecture, called "Built". It will give me yet another reason to carry my camera wherever I go, picking up images, seeing more than what is evident at a quick glance.

**I'll be traveling to NYC tomorrow, to spend the Jewish New Year with my family. Wishing you a happy holiday, if applicable, and I'll see you in a few days.