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An old barn seems to be the perfect place to look at art. Maybe it’s because when we enter, the cathedral-like ceilings feel like a place of worship. We talk more quietly and instinctively prepare for a period of contemplation. Or perhaps the air of history in an old barn lends authenticity to the art. Or it may even be that the lingering smell of hay is an aromatherapy to soothe the mind.

I am an art enthusiast on a dabbler’s budget, so one of my favorite activities is to visit galleries, any gallery, in any type of building. Our region has attracted many wonderful galleries over the years that offer a wide selection of artists and shows on a rotating basis.  However, this pair of barn galleries, within walking distance of one another in a tiny town in rural New Hampshire, are special and well worth a detour.

Opening the screen doors of Surroundings Gallery is like peeling back the wrapping on a Christmas present. There are two main reasons I enjoy this gallery. The first is that I can occasionally afford to feel like a patron here. The owner, Don Sutton, keeps prices reasonable while still being fair to his artists. Second, and more important, having grown up in the area, I have a special affection for this part of New England, and the art in Surroundings is representative of its ever-changing landscape. The combination is intoxicating.

Surroundings also has the distinction of being the only outlet for the original paintings by the famous children’s book illustrator David McPhail. These are classic and vibrant, and many of you will recognize McPhail’s style immediately.

The Carega Gallery offers a completely different art experience, but one no less enticing and certainly no less regional. Somehow an aura of sophistication permeates this giant, rustic, and drafty barn. The enormous doors of the gallery are usually open wide, the entrance exposed to the elements, and this is a good way to describe the art: elemental.

A gallery’s collection is as distinctive as its curator and Patricia Carega’s taste is selective and contemporary. The work on the walls, while beautiful in its own right, nearly always relates something about the subject, rather then just mirroring it. At Carega, once I’ve had a little dialogue with a piece, I usually walk away feeling that my perspective has quietly broadened.

The elegant curator herself is usually on hand to greet her fans, and there are many of them. Carega smiles graciously every time a new visitor gushes over the art and the phenomenal view out the back of the loft. This is the one flaw of the barn—the view from the back of the upstairs loft can be as much a distraction as an attraction.

The oil paintings of Frances Hamilton at the Carega gallery are of worthy note. Hamilton paints moody, lakeside cottage interiors that draw you in to her experience of reflected light and color.

If you are looking for the barn/art experience closer to the seacoast, there are some wonderful options available; the Barn Gallery in Ogunquit, Maine, and the Haley Farm Gallery in Kittery, Maine. Both are great barn experiences not to be missed.

Clockwise from left: Sculpture at the Carega Gallery by Madelein Lord. | Carega at the entrance to her barn. | Illustration in oil by David McPhail at Surroundings. | The view from the Carega Gallery loft. | Owner Don Sutton at Surroundings. | Surroundings’ upstairs rooms. | Oil painting by Marge Kendrick at Surroundings. | View from the upstairs lofts at the Carega Gallery.