Root Cellars

I've begun exploring the idea of root cellars in my art work. A tall clapboard house on a hill has been a long standing theme, but suddenly on last week I started seeing this space below the house, below the basement where a family would put away it's goods at harvest time for winter. I find this space intriguing, what do people's root cellars look like? What crops do they put away? What do they use for vessels? The root cellar was also the backbone of the family 100 years ago when most were still growing much of their own food. In this local eating business they are also a necessity for the farmers that keep potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and so much more available to us all winter. There's also dry storage for grains and beans to keep in mind. I just find my synapses start firing as I think of all the work that goes into this cold damp room to keep food to eat until the next crop starts coming out of the ground. In our modern lifestyle its so foreign, so removed, but it was simply a way of life for so long in our culture. And visually I enjoy the idea of crates of produce being tucked away, waiting to be eaten. I have an idea to start a drawing project of area root cellars, we'll see where I go with it...