Original wind farm
These minimalist little sketches are the result of a few minutes forced rest from driving and a walk in a Kansas gale. The wind was gusting at about 40 mph and it seemed averaging just below that. I had to lean against a tree to stand up. It was late November and the wind was not warm. We were on I-70 at a rest stop amid the wind generators that populate the landscape on both sides of the highway. You can see one over the hill in the drawing below.
These original farmsteads were extremely dependent on the wind for the water that sustained their way of life. The same wind that made it almost impossible to function some days, and sucked the moisture out of the land. The wind had a double function- as a blessing and yet as a curse. And this day I was there plastered to the tree by this double wind- blowing at double its normal intensity.
No Competition
"No competition" is the companion sketch that goes with "the original wind-farm"; it was the view just down the hill to the left of the first sketch. This barn and silo sit on the property with the stone house in the other drawing. Over the horizon just beside the windmill you can see the head of the wind generator off in the distance. Windmills will always have a function to provide cheap water in remote areas. Electric wind generators have yet to prove their long term viability. Maybe there is no competition between the two. The wind here has this double function one way or another- providing water and power for the mid-west.
Both these sketches were done in my 5"x9" pad with only the extra fine Sharpie I had in my pocket.
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