THE STORY BEHIND THE ARTWORK
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The artwork and decorative motifs woven throughout this website were inspired by an old fanning mill that stood for generations on my family’s farm near Blyth, Ontario. The mill was likely brought to the farm by my grandfather in the early 1900s and was housed in the Ontario bank barn he built in 1906.
A CENTURY OF HISTORY
As described in the accompanying infographic, the fanning mill remained in the barn for more than a century before the aging structure was recently demolished for safety reasons. Before the barn came down, I photographed and documented many of its surviving details. Among the most striking were the hand-painted decorative patterns on the fanning mill itself. Despite more than a century of wear, they revealed an unexpected level of craftsmanship and artistry in what was, above all, a practical piece of farm equipment.
The decorative motifs featured throughout this website are inspired by the original hand-painted decoration on this century-old Ontario fanning mill.
PRESERVING RURAL HERITAGE
The images and reconstructed artwork that appear throughout this website are drawn from those original designs. They preserve a small piece of Ontario’s rural heritage while celebrating the beauty and craftsmanship that once characterized even the everyday tools of farming. They also serve as a reminder that rural life is shaped not only by hard work and innovation, but also by history, craftsmanship, community, and a deep sense of place.
connecting heritage to my work
Those values have profoundly influenced my lifelong interest in rural planning, agriculture, and community development. In many ways, the artwork provides a visual thread that runs throughout this website, connecting my family’s farming heritage with the work, research, and ideas that have shaped my professional life.
