My family roots run deep in the country around Meeteetse, Wyoming, so I’ve always had a soft spot for the old ranch buildings scattered across that part of the country. Barns that were barely standing, forgotten cabins and old sheds that had outlived their original purpose but still had a story to tell.
When we lived there, I spent a lot of time searching out those old places. One day, a local rancher and friend, Tuff Renner, took me out to photograph some old buildings on his place. That’s where I first saw the old Sunshine Post Office, sitting out there in the middle of all God’s grand beauty, all by itself, just holding memories.
I came home and sketched it in pencil almost right away. Later, I turned that sketch into a pen-and-ink drawing, and over the years we sold quite a few prints of it.
Recently, someone contacted us asking about that old Sunshine Post Office print. I hadn’t thought about it in a while, but there it was in my head again - that little building, still looking just as interesting to me all these years later.
So, I decided to paint it.
Nothing big or elaborate. Just a small study of a place I remembered fondly and wanted to visit again with a paintbrush.
This little original is the result.
Places change. Old buildings disappear. People move on – and artists often try to capture whatever they can while they can. I thoroughly enjoyed reliving that visit to Tuff’s ranch and seeing the remnants of the Sunshine Post office. As long as someone remembers, it has purpose.
 
This painitng is oil on canvas and is 7" X 5" (painting is framed)