A collection of oil paintings of historic area tobacco barns is on exhibit at the Gateway Art Gallery in downtown Lake City. Completed by local award-winning artist Cynthia Mantini, these barns represent an industry and way of life of days gone by. Mantini says, ” Many of these barns have succumbed to the elements and are no longer standing. I wanted to capture the essence of their time — families helping families was how a lot of them were worked. Each one belonged to a family farm or a group of neighbor farmers. They were so vital to the economy of their region and day.” The paintings are all framed in recycled barn wood. The exhibit will remain at the Gateway Gallery, 168 N. Marion Street in Lake City, through the end of January, and the public is invited to view them.