Lloyd Barnard and the Goat Cart

32″ x 48″
Oil on canvas

This is a painting of my father Lloyd Barnard. My Dad grew up on farms. He enjoyed gardening and hunting. My Dad’s great love and true obsession was fishing. My Dad was born in Hickory Ridge Arkansas September 22, 1916 and died January 23, 2005 in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He remembered this picture being taken when he was about five years old. The photo was in sepia. This left me free to be creative. I decided to change the background to soften it and contrast it with Dad and the goat cart. The background was used to help connect the goat to the cart and my dad. I shortened the cart traces and shafts imperceptibly to better connect the goat with the cart. I also softened the black cart to brown. Color should be used to enhance the composition. I chose a soft blue for the overalls and shirt. Wheels are difficult, they are not just circles. To get the right perspective I often turn a painting upside down. Painting the goat needed a lot of self-control. It was tempting to paint every hair and put even more detail into it. This would have emphasized the goat and separated it from the rest of the painting. My Dad lived a very interesting life. I hope to write more about Him in the future.