Vintage Red Tractor, 10"x10", acrylic on board

Vintage John Deere Tractor, 10"x10", acrylic on board

Vintage Red Tractor, 10"x10", acrylic on board

Anyone who knew me before we moved to a hilltop farm in South Carolina a few years ago might look at these little paintings of old tractors and think I’ve finally, really gone country. That may be so but it was a little painting of a tractor, done long ago, that launched my artistic career. When I was 9 years old, Santa brought me a toy tractor, something like this…

Vintage Hubley Ford Tractor

I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen (remember, I was nine). Back in Miss Syler’s 2nd grade class after Christmas vacation,  at “art time”, I painted a portrait of my favorite toy. I could recall the red chassis, the bouncy red seat, the silver steering wheel that actually turned the front tires, the big black rear tires, and the long gray hood. But I couldn’t recall what the exposed engine looked like. So, I made it up. Miss Syler was really impressed with my engine ingenuity and called my mother that night to recommend I take some private art lessons. Within a few weeks, I was introduced to the amazing world of pastel chalk drawing at Samsel’s art school in North Hollywood .

I still think well designed machines and tools are beautiful. Farm machinery of almost any kind, motorcycles, boats, kitchen appliances, anything thoughtfully made for a specific purpose is a work of functional sculpture.

These little paintings, on cut out Masonite and mounted to plywood backgrounds, are of vintage tractors I’ve sketched and photographed in the South Carolina upcountry.