Artist: Helen L. Rietz
Title: Slow Cooking
Medium: Watercolor
Dimensions: 12"h x 18"w
With open land all around, the old homestead stood alone. Three buildings huddled together for comfort, with a broken down windmill looming over them. The main house was single storied, but fairly large. Its wooden roof and sides were collapsing, listing seriously toward one side. I stooped to pass through the main door. Inside, the living room — it would have been called a parlor back then — held the wreck of an upright piano, clearly a touch of class. And then, in what was once the kitchen, a magnificent old stove. It must have been a beauty in its day. And with several burners, it must have cooked many a big meal for the hard working family that lived there. I wanted to paint it, as a tribute to those people and the utilitarian beauty they brought to life out there. Though this homestead is abandoned now, it’s worth noting that the family survived, and moved on. It was the descendants of those farmers who gave me access to their remote old places. With husband and wife both from families three generations on the land, they continue to farm there, grateful to their grandparents, and the life they live today with their own children growing up in these vast spaces.
Art is professionally matted and framed, using museum glass which is the highest quality available for framing. Please note that the dimensions above are for the image only. The dimensions of this piece framed are approximately 22"h x 26"w.