Cobwebs dangle from the rafters and the smell of pressed apples cling to the air. The barn is ramshackle, but it’s a standing piece of island history.

“Barns are like people: they have a certain smell, a certain presence,” said artist Ray McBride, whose long-ago dream of making his drawings into a calendar has come true.

In the mid-1980s, McBride sketched and then water-colored 12 old barns on Orcas. It was more than just an art project for him. He talked to the barns’ owners and felt a deep connection to the historic structures. McBride, who lived on Orcas for six years, approached several organizations – including the historical museum – about making a calendar, but the timing wasn’t right.

“Lo and behold, 22 years later, I get a call from the museum saying they want to do it,” he said. “I am so excited for it to be used for people to enjoy and appreciate … barns reflect the history and culture of the island.”

The 2013 calendar, available for $12 at the museum, is in honor of the “Tour of Historic Orcas Barns” on Oct. 13 and 14.

McBride, now a resident of Corvalis, Ore., only has five of his original paintings left. In early September, he brought them to the museum, where they will be displayed and then featured in a silent auction during the barn tour.

He describes his art process as “the pencil work is the skeleton, the ink is the flesh and putting on the wash is when it breathes and speaks.”

While a few of the buildings depicted in McBride’s paintings are no longer standing, the majority are still scattered throughout Orcas Island. He says they are “like an old soldier in the field, standing all alone.”

Each calendar month has a brief description and history of the barn.

“This is a dream come true,” he said. “There is a link between my heart, these barns and Orcas.”

Barn tour tickets

Tickets are on sale now at www.orcasmuseum.org, the historical museum, chamber of commerce, and Art of the Salish Sea. They are $20 or $15 for historical society members. Those under 12 are free. A prize will be awarded each week to the winner of a drawing from the purchased ticket numbers.