Rural Paintings |
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As Safran developed as a fine artist, he found that he wanted to move away from the influence and opinions of the New York art world. He began to look for an affordable and healthy place for his family to live. In 1973 he moved with his family to a remote 19th century farmhouse ten miles outside of Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. The house was situated on a few cleared acres, on a hill above a lake. The only other house that could be seen was across the woods, and over a ridge, a few miles away. It was a dramatic change to move into a rustic old house complete with bats in the attic,a groundhog in the basement, and moose in his backyard. Safran often said he would never have survived life in the country, if he hadn't been in the army as a youth. Safran relaxed into this new lifestyle and began painting the experience of everyday rural life. Like his earlier works, these paintings emphasize the individual and his place in the world. You will find that the Rural Paintings feel warmer and more intimate than the New York Paintings. This is perhaps due to the fact that he personally knew the individuals in the rural works (they were friends, family, and neighbors). The color is also much brighter and textured; a response to the beautiful pastoral surroundings he now lived in. |