Set against the pale boards of white, weather-worn barns, this painting by Merrill Coffin captures a moment so gentle it almost feels overheard rather than seen. The scene is simple, rural, and deeply familiar—yet filled with careful storytelling.
Two robins anchor the composition. One stands on the grass beside a fallen apple, head tilted as if deciding whether the fruit is meant for eating or simply admiring. The other perches confidently atop a tipped harvest basket, apples spilling freely onto the ground below. A milk can rests quietly in the grass, a reminder of morning chores and the steady rhythm of farm life. Nothing here is rushed. Everything belongs.
The barns—soft white and timeworn—do more than frame the scene. They hold history. They suggest generations of use, seasons of labor, and the quiet pride of a working landscape. Merrill Coffin had a remarkable ability to paint not just what he saw, but what he knew—the habits of birds, the way apples fall, the stillness of a farmyard after the work is done.
This painting was shown at the Ashville Library, where it was purchased during an exhibition held there. The setting was especially meaningful to our family, as the librarian at the time—was the artist daughter, Tabetha Butler.
Attached to the back of the painting is a newspaper clipping from that show—an artifact that anchors the artwork to a specific time and place. These small details matter. They remind us that paintings live lives beyond their frames: they are shown, discussed, admired, purchased, and carried into homes where they continue telling their stories quietly, year after year.
This robin scene is not dramatic. It does not ask for attention. Instead, it offers something rarer—a moment of calm abundance, a sense that all is as it should be. Apples fall, birds gather, barns stand steady, and the day unfolds just as it always has.
It is a painting rooted in observation, memory, and affection for the land—and a beautiful example of Merrill Coffin’s enduring legacy.
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