{"id":96943,"date":"2025-10-11T12:37:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T19:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=96943"},"modified":"2025-10-14T13:04:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T20:04:42","slug":"the-physical-poetry-of-rachel-maughans-farm-paintings-at-border-and-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/the-physical-poetry-of-rachel-maughans-farm-paintings-at-border-and-square\/","title":{"rendered":"The Physical Poetry of Rachel Maughan\u2019s Farm Paintings at Border and Square"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Unstretched

Rachel Maughan’s “Barned and Baled” at Border & Square in Provo. Image courtesy of Gina Cavallo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Cutting and baling hay is an indescribably difficult task. It requires every muscle and every ounce of endurance in your body. Stacking bales in a hot barn is like no other weightlifting activity. The deep exhaustion of this work is standard daily life on a ranch or farm. Often idealized, agricultural occupations\u00a0 demand constant labor and unending dedication. But without people willing to do the work, there would be no food on our tables.<\/h4>\n

The physical demands of the agricultural industry are brought expressively to life in the paintings of Rachel Maughan. Her exhibition, Barned & Baled,<\/em> hangs at Border & Square in Provo through October 28. A student in BYU\u2019s BFA painting program, Maughan shares her personal experience growing up on a cattle ranch in Washington state. Her purpose, stated in the introductory panel, is \u201cto show a society that has become separate from the realities of owning land, livestock, and being a steward to creations that have been given to us.\u201d<\/h4>\n
\n
\"An

Rachel Maughan, \u201cAugust 9:20pm,\u201d oil on canvas, 60×60 in.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Through 13 paintings, annotated with poetic reminiscences on the ID labels, the artist brings those realities boldly forth on both stretched and unstretched canvases. Ironically hanging in the gallery of a frame shop, the stretched canvases are unframed, while the unstretched pieces have an almost hide-like rawness to them. The presentation of both is notable, but the overall effect of the exhibition is cohesive in its palette and painterly surfaces. There is some rich impasto on most of the works, adding to the roughness of both the cows and the hay bales. That same impasto emphasizes the dirtiness Maughan references in many painting descriptions including the label for \u201cDirty Spring 2\u201d:<\/h4>\n

The side field was still sopping from the heavy March rain.
\nThe river rose, emptying all unwanted materials on it.
\nThese items would stay grown over by the brush or swept away to be found in the dirty months of the Fall.<\/h4>\n
\"Thick

Rachel Maughan, \u201cPanel Problems,\u201d oil on canvas, 20×16 in.<\/p><\/div>\n

Maughan’s palette is mostly browns, greens, whites and grays, but the intensity of her yellows (used primarily for straw\/hay) invigorates many of the pieces in the show. In \u201cPanel Problems,\u201d a testament to the fact that \u201ccows are not good listeners,\u201d the yellow ground flares in the form of a fire below the haunches of the escaping cow. The rich texturing of this work is particularly effective.<\/h4>\n

That same yellow enlivens the left side of \u201cOctober 8:45pm,\u201d where the straw shouts in the silence of an uninhabited barnyard scene. The tilted perspective of this piece seems to reference American Scene painting, popular in the mid-20th century for its documentation of the unique American everyday landscape. Maughan paints the sparseness of the scene at dusk where lines blur and the yellow straw glows.<\/h4>\n
\"Two

Rachel Maughan, \u201cHuck & Chuck,\u201d oil on canvas, 36×60 in.<\/p><\/div>\n

In \u201cHuck & Chuck,\u201d the figures (presumably the artist in the center with her back to us) cling to the bales as they are stacked. The yellow dominates the image, but the figures feel as though they\u2019re fighting back, pushing and lifting, building a strong and sturdy stack. What seems at odds with the power of the bales is the ungloved hands stacking them. Anyone who has handled a straw or hay bale knows the harshness of the surface. Perhaps these workers are at the end of their patience as well as their day. Also of note is the care the artist took with their hair, bits of straw included in the waves. \u201cHuck & Chuck\u201d is one of the unstretched canvases in the exhibit and its uneven edges and embedded grommets mix well with the physical strain of the image.<\/h4>\n

Another unstretched piece, \u201cI Can Fix That,\u201d sums up the reality of farm life as it references the unending need for repairs and the lack of time (or maybe just energy) to make them.<\/h4>\n

I always knew that saggin floor would give out.
\nI can fix that up to be just right again, January 2018.
\nWe need to get that fixed, June 2023.<\/h4>\n

The shattered floor betrays the bales and the straw scatters from both levels.<\/h4>\n

The pains and losses of farm life are reflected in several of the paintings. \u201cAugust 9:20pm\u201d at the entrance to the exhibit, and \u201cLittle One,\u201d at its end, depict the harshness of a life lived in contained spaces. In \u201cAugust 9:20pm,\u201d Maughan brings us immediately into the difficulty of livestock management.<\/h4>\n

The summer had a drought streak, but your pen still became flooded.
\nThe ground became saturated and slick.
\nCream and tan hair became brown and grey blending in with your permanent bed as you cleaned your young calf.
\nGoing through the back gates so that I would not startle you in my brother\u2019s sweater and two-size too big, borrowed boots.
\nI saw the light reflecting off the trough that was flowing, following the overflow to your hooves, your awkwardly positioned hip, and your final bedding.
\nA watery mistake was made in August at 9:20pm.<\/h4>\n

Was it the calf or the mamma cow that became the victim of a mistake? Either way, the thick impasto and the deeply thatched brushstrokes speak to the rough scene as both cows seem to swim in their pen. A figure in blue (presumably the artist in her brother\u2019s sweater) stands to the left with her hand on the mamma cow\u2019s back, giving what little comfort she can. The dark palette of brown, black, gray and a deep red on the pen rails almost blends together in a wash of loss.<\/h4>\n

In \u201cLittle One,\u201d Maughan presents a complex composition of figures and cows, encircling the artist and a calf at center. It appears that all the cows have been lost as they seem to be laying on the ground, perhaps victims of illness this time.<\/h4>\n

My Dear Young One
\n3 Months Covered in Mud
\n2 Weeks of Bad Rain
\n1 Day of a Cough
\n0 Shots
\nMy Little One<\/h4>\n

The faces of the figures reflect the pain they are feeling and, once again, the artist has incorporated a dark, muddy palette to emphasize a somber mood. The swirling of the composition adds a chaotic note as does the scale of the piece (60×72 in.) and even the unstretched canvas which, again, gives it a rawness that feels right for the subject.<\/h4>\n
\"A

Rachel Maughan, \u201cPhil,\u201d mixed media acrylic on canvas, cardboard, 48×38 in.<\/p><\/div>\n

The one sculptural piece in the show had fallen from its spot on the wall when I visited. \u201cPhil\u201d is a mixed-media acrylic on canvas and cardboard piece that is approximately 4×3 feet. The loose design of its paper mache structure manages to still give it a realism despite missing hooves and details. Its slick, glossy surface successfully reflects the look of a newly born calf. And as it lay on the gallery\u2019s coffee table, it seemed even more realistic. Maughan\u2019s story for \u201cPhil\u201d included a bit more wry humor than others in the show.<\/h4>\n

You were rather dirty.
\nThat\u2019s not mud on my coat now.
\nBedding in the feed barn, your great and nightly escape.
\nBut you were content, and I was too small to be scary. I would wait till mom gets back for help.
\nFor now, I\u2019ll draw you in the doorway, so you do not wander, and name you Phil.
\nThe escapee brahma weaner cow, Miss Potter would have adored you, amidst all stereotypes of brahmas you were a good pet. I\u2019d rather have a cow than a dog because who has met a dog named Phil.<\/h4>\n

Rachel Maughan\u2019s presentation is exceptional, especially for an active student and emerging artist. Her annotated labels expand on the imagery without being heavy-handed. As Border & Square Gallery continues its series of shows, their curatorial choices continue to impress.<\/h4>\n

Rachel Maughan: Barned and Baled<\/em>, Border & Square<\/a>, Provo, through October 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cutting and baling hay is an indescribably difficult task. It requires every muscle and every ounce of endurance in your body. Stacking bales in a hot barn is like no other weightlifting activity. The deep exhaustion of this work is standard daily life on a ranch or farm. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1736,"featured_media":96958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,14],"tags":[4746,3161,4747],"class_list":["post-96943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibition_reviews","category-visual_arts","tag-border-and-square","tag-provo","tag-rachel-maughan"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0377-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-24 19:03:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1736"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96943"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96965,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96943\/revisions\/96965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}