BLACK AND BROWN COWS AMIDST THE TREES

Depicting a small herd of brown and black cattle in late winter amidst a grove of trees, in yellows and greens.

CLEANING THE PLOW

“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares.” – Isaiah 2:4

The plow versus the sword: what could be farther apart metaphorically then these universal implements: the sword for war and the plow for peace. Yet both are instruments for cutting and both need tending and sharpening. The plow cuts into the earth, creating a wound in the topsoil, but also a womb in the earth for the sprouting of seed. For all the advancements of modern agriculture, this ancient implement remains essentially like its ancestor, a blade to cut the soil instead of flesh. read more

BULLDOGGING

Tricky business this Bulldogging. You jump and get too far out the saddle to get back on the horse, but your hands have not yet reached the horns of the bull. This series of swift and artful motions reminds me of the trapeze artist- master of precise spaces and intervals of time. It is an application of both timing and strength, between man and animal, each pursuing a different purpose. Swift riding- jumping headlong over the horns of a running bull.  The rider, at full speed, moves his feet ahead of the bull, digs in his heels, and with upper body strength, wrestles the bull to the ground, dismounts, and ties its feet together. It’s a lot to do in a couple of minutes, and the horse also needs to know what it’s doing. This feat has always impressed me with a religious connotation-“the Leap of Faith”.

ROAD WORKERS

Depicting outdoor workers, working in hole in ground wearing safety helmets and with yellow safety cones surrounding the work space

TRACTOR - A SPRING TIME TILLING

The land between- looking for landscapes. It was here I did my first tractor painting. An abandoned old red tractor standing in a field of knee-high grass. I walked around and around it, observing, taking mental notes. It was fall or spring; I remember because I don’t recall it being hot. I had followed an old grass-filled road at the edge of San Antonio and suddenly in a biblical sense, it stood “over against me”. The scene immediately filled my vision space. This first tractor painting was sold a few years ago. This is what led to my series of tractors. This painting was one of my subsequent tractor images that I encountered on my travels across the landscapes.