Simon McKinstry (b.1960)

Ulster Barns, c. 1990

Son of renowned Northern Irish architect Robert and artist Cherith, McKinstry’s paintings are redolent of the County Down landscape where he grew up. He was awarded the 1981 silver medal at the Royal Ulster Academy. The red paint of agricultural buildings is an iconic feature of the Northern Irish landscape. McKinstry captures the contrast between the large, monolithic, bright red corrugated iron building and the more domestic brick barn. This configuration of old and new is typical of the rural landscape here. The simple, solid forms of the buildings stand out against the softer impressionistic greens of the surrounding vegetation and look almost like collage against the cloudless, clear blue sky.