Ghosts of a Forgotten Landscape

On view in the Shenandoah Valley Gallery, this exhibition presented 20 contemporary landscape paintings by Shenandoah County artist Sally Veach (b. 1962). The exhibition included several works on first-time public display.

The historic barns of the Valley landscape figure heavily in Sally Veach’s paintings. She has devoted recent years to creating a series of works—Barns of Shenandoah—depicting barns, exploring their meaning, and representing barns as an iconic link between the natural and material worlds. Paintings in the Barns of Shenandoah series feature recurring themes, including the power of nature, the disappearance of barns, and the spirits of ancestors. Veach’s gestural brushwork and dramatic palette express her reverence for the beauty of her surroundings, while venting frustration and concern over change, eventually finding acceptance and reconciliation between nature and humanity. Harvest Ghost, a 2018 painting by Sally Veach, was acquired by the MSV in 2019 for its contemporary art collection. The painting is currently on view in the MSV exhibition Vital Force.

See an exhibition overview video with comments by artist Sally Veach here.