The subject matter in this oil painting are of 3 abandon John Deere tractors set on a rolling landscape of scrap farm equipment. I visited a junkyard in late January 2018 to search out ideas for landscape painting. I was blessed with 50 degree sunshine and discovery.
I thought of all the stories that surrounding each tractor. Who were their owners? What long thoughts did the drivers have while working long days? What hands built these machines? The owners could only be fictional characters in my mind and my canvas.
Out of the endless locations to paint, I choose these three because I loved the rhythm and depth the objects offered. The main tractor sits as the dominating focal point. A tractor in the background almost sinks into the ground while it is missing the front tires. In the foreground we see just a tire and part of the engine block quickly cutting into the frame in of the lower right side of the canvas.
There is an overwhelming visual chaos to this painting. When you squint your eyes the abstract beauty blends object and land to form an amazing landscape. To me this location offered a truly challenging but rewarding opportunity to paint something new.
This painting is bittersweet.
This oil painting presents the viewer with abandon cold rusted metal sitting in an open grassy field. The machines most likely will never fire to life. Each object serves to rebuild another by harvesting scrap parts. If you focus on just those aspects, then it is a bit depressing. But it is the harmony of color and memories that makes these sculptures a thing of beauty. Stay tuned for future work in on this subject matter.
This one of a kind painting is for available for immediate sale
