As the footpath from Langcliffe drops down through the woods above Settle, a clearing opens up in the trees, revealing an unusual barn.
These stone barns are a key feature of the Yorkshire Dales landscape and are usually found in open fields. This barn is unusual for its woodland setting but also for its form. Unlike most of the barns in this area, this one is very tall in proportion to it’s size. It’s setting means that you are forced to look up at it, creating a kind of accentuated perspective which further emphasises the height.
This painting depicts the barn caught in full summer sun. An abandoned tractor sits by the timber lean-to, overgrown with weeds. The lane winds away behind the barn, bordered with Cow Parsley and shaded by the trees and a cock pheasant picks for insects on this quiet summer afternoon.