Winter Holdings

A cluster of agricultural outbuildings rests beneath fresh snowfall near Freesoil, Michigan, their pitched roofs forming a rhythm against the wooded hillside beyond. The primary barn anchors the frame, its dark siding and softened edges contrasting with the clean geometry of snow-covered planes. Secondary structures recede into the background, reinforcing a sense of scale, function, and spatial hierarchy typical of rural farmsteads in northern Michigan.

Rendered in monochrome, the image emphasizes form, texture, and tonal separation over color. Snow acts as both subject and compositional device, simplifying surfaces, clarifying rooflines, and drawing attention to the aging materials beneath. The wooded backdrop, dense with bare branches, compresses the scene and underscores the isolation and self-sufficiency of the site.

Such farm complexes were once central to daily life in this region, built incrementally as needs changed rather than as a single, unified design. Though many now stand partially unused, they remain as physical records of labor, adaptation, and rural persistence shaped by both climate and necessity.