“MAKING HAY” 2016
Acrylic on hardboard 16×20
This work began on a late August afternoon driving the back roads near Heuvelton, NY. After passing this Amish hay wagon I took a photo just before the Horses turned into a field on the left. The horse were in shadow and blocked by a sign (see photos at the end of this page) so I substituted ones from another picture I had taken years before.
I painted the background a yellow ochre. I sometimes do this in my paintings because it gives the painting a unifying tone, even though most of the color doesn’t show in the final stages, just enough shows through the thinner layers to give harmony to the painting. I started with the horses because they are the principle center of interest and I wanted to be sure they were placed right.