Barbara Brennan, October 2025 Featured Artist

FARM!

Since semi-retiring in 2012, I have turned to painting in oils and pastels with a particular interest in the history of rural landscapes and farms. Beyond pure documentation, I am fascinated by changing weather conditions, faded wood, rusting metal, and dramatic cloud formations. The paintings shown here are created from photographs of farms and crops grown in Virginia’s Northen Neck, with deep appreciation for their beauty and the farmers that produce them.

Soy and poultry are the Northern Neck’s biggest earners with cattle, corn and lumber close behind. Sorghum is rotated in occasionally, and local farmers grow or raise nearly everything needed for human consumption. Eighty-five percent of the Neck’s farms are owned by families or individuals.

 Virginia’s temperate climate and rich soil yield three harvests per year, with “winter wheat” allowing the land to rest and recuperate between rotated crops of corn and soy in the spring, summer, and fall. Vinyards are growing in number and quality, adding to the Northern Neck’s reputation as a wine producer and tourist destination.

The solar farm near Montross, Virginia, was installed by the Northern Neck Electric Co-operative on property leased from the owner, whose children did not want to carry on the local farming tradition. Rotating crops of corn, soy, and wheat can be a labor-intensive and risky endeavor. The solar farm produces a steady income for the entire family and allowed the owner to retire early, a win-win for everyone.