One Field Too Many

For some reason, rusty objects are my favorite painting subjects.  Maybe it’s because there is something about the “Earth Tone” paints I get to use, or perhaps it’s because some of my favorite painters liked to work with those types of subjects.  For whatever reason, I love to find something old with a little (or a lot of) rust and then make it a painting subject.

A few years ago, the wife and I were driving the back roads of south Georgia when I noticed a farmer’s ‘bone yard.’  You’ve seen them too.  Those storage areas where old pieces of equipment have been placed with the thought that various parts and pieces can be used later.  My own memories are of the farmers who were my aunts and uncles, and the times that I would visit and be allowed to play on the equipment which had been put out to rust.  In this case, one old tractor caught my eye. 

It has character.  It’s been well used.  I can even imagine the farmer saying a cuss word or two when it became cranky and didn’t want to start or run.  And when I look at the old metal seat, I can’t help but feel the farmer’s pain as he had to endure the beating his posterior took when he plowed the fields.  Most of all, it was a tractor that had worked “One Field Too Many.”  These thoughts were in my head when I made the painting and I hope they show in the finished work.

For those who are interested, I think the tractor is a late 1920s or early 1930s McCormick or possibly McCulloch.

This is the original painting of “One Field Too Many”.  It is a watercolor on 18” x 12” 300# cold press paper and is copyrighted by the artist, Gerry Grimes.  He retains all rights regarding copies and/or reproductions regardless of the ownership of the original by others.  No prints, reproductions or copies may be made of the original or other authorized copies without the explicit consent of the artist or his heirs.