Thursday, March 28, 2013

Red Barn country rural landscape


Copyright © Linda Apple  
"Red Barn" - sold
oil on gallery wrapped canvas 10"x 10" 

 The old red barn.

 I have always been drawn to the old red barns that dot the countryside. 

 Do you know why they are painted red? 
I did some research and actually found many theories. So here's a bit of history today :) 
The most popular one theory seems to be: Early 18th-century bridges and barns 
went unpainted. However,by the late 1700's, natural wood seasoning gave
 way to artificial preservation. Virginia farmers were the first to become pa
int-conscious. Since ready-made paint was not available, a farmer mixed his own. 
Skimmed milk, lime and ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, 
made a plastic-like coating that hardened quickly and lasted for years. 
Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss.

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