I discovered Ryan Russell when my husband gave me the painting “Barn in Ground Fog” as an engagement present several years ago. (A similar painting is shown on the gallery link here.)
Our barn hangs in our living room, a reminder every day of the shelter and home that is our relationship. I plan to say a lot more about The Barn and what it means in my life, through my marriage but also my friendships.
For now, I just want to share the image and the idea. I’ve been up since 3:30 a.m., concerned about a lot of things that are not stable and secure in my world. But I’m here writing downstairs under the calming shadow of The Barn, both the painting and the love.
He’s resting peacefully upstairs.
Esse Diem 
Since I live in a barn, I went out of my way to find barn images. As the years trundled past, I’ve discovered I really like barn images. I would like them even if I lived in a New York loft. There is something soul-stirring about a barn against a horizon of Ma Nature’s best.
When my man and I met, we were both going through some very difficult times in our respective lives. I gave him Anne Lamott’s book “Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith” and he pulled out her line about caring for loved ones as like barn building. “We will have been building this barn all along, and so there will always be shelter.”
It came to represent our philosophy about going through life supporting each other. At the time it didn’t mean as partners, but it came to mean that, and for all the reasons you state its power as metaphor only grows with time and use. Barns are special. (Though some need air conditioning!!)