Art & inspiration by Paul & Kathy Boecher©

What seems to be a broken-down cabin, in fact holds many memories and stories. It could have been a refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life. It may have been a summer retreat. It could’ve been a hideout for crooks from the 1930s. In this painting, we see why Paul loved the outdoors and being part of nature. He would pack his art gear and head out for a day of painting and come across an abandoned building like this and turn it into a story of its own.

It was nothing more than the skeletal remains of a deserted old building.  The facade bore scars on its sun bleached boards. It had become pock marked by the bullets of hail. Remnants of a large bird nest topped the crooked chimney. Windows, soiled by years of lost memories, were now clothed with the silver threads of spider webs, glistening in the light of day. Within the empty walls, you could almost hear voices from the past. Wallpaper barely clung to the mildewed walls. The floors creaked. A few dishes lined the sink- now coated with dust. A broken rocking chair sat at the center of the open space. How many babies had been rocked and comforted in that relic? A tree branch crashed through the roof at some point and now seemed to belong there. The new life, budding from that seemingly dead branch, presented some semblance of hope in the midst of misery. It seemed that the bones were still in place. The foundation was solid. When the sun cast it brilliance on it, I knew this is where I should be.