Places on the Farm

Gates And More... 

A View From The Farm series has two paintings with entry gates as the subject.  One of these was inspired by The Flying M  which is an adjacent ranch.

The Flying M

48x48

All of the paintings are made up of layer upon layer of pigment which has been blended, carved through, textured.  Each canvas incorporates a photograph or photographs of what ever it was that inspired that particular painting.  Elements from the photo are repeated in the painted part of the work.  In The Flying M, there are carved M's flying through the sky and  the name of the ranch is carved through the paint.  

Hunt Farms Gate

48x48

In this painting, Hunt Farms Gate, not only is the ranch brand carved through the paint several times, but carved circular and straight lines are featured as a design element to represent the row crops on the farm.

Mamo's View

48x48

Over the years, the matriarch of the family came to be known as Mamo.  Visitors often found her sitting outside in front of her farm house where she had views across a catalpa tree lined drive, a corral and numerous fields. 

This project became a scrapbook of sorts, a preservation of a place in paintings, which was emphasized with the use of photographs embedded in the paint.  Because of this there are areas on each of the canvases that give a sense of borders used in scrapbooks.  An example of this can be seen in Mamo's View around the photo and more prominently in the two paintings shown below.

The Courtyard

48x30

As you drive further into the farm you enter a courtyard surrounded by stables and corrals, a remnant of the cattle ranch days, and the inspiration for this painting.

Betty Lane

48 x 30

Beyond the courtyard, behind the stables there is a short dirt road named Betty Lane.  Betty became Mamo but the name for the road stuck.  There is an area of agave's planted here which became a significant part of the composition in this painting.

Crossing The Fairfield

48 x 30

A canal runs through the farm carrying water used in the farming process.  A rickety old wooden bridge crosses that canal and that bridge looks like it could collapse at any minute, however it seems to endure the traffic and continues to survive.

The Far Away Barn

48 x 48

After crossing the canal a dirt road leads up to The Far Away Barn, which is a magnificent old wooden structure with tall doors and open sides.  It is a graceful yet imposing building that can be seen from miles away.  

I am enjoying a visit to this collection of paintings, thinking of harvest, being aware of the farm and farming.  It seems like an appropriate time of year to be doing this.   

 Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.