I grew up on a farm, and while growing up, one of my favorite things was to wander the fields and woods. I had an appaloosa horse named Flame, and I would ride him while one of our dogs followed along. Back then, (In the 50s, 60s and 70s) a person could wander pretty much anywhere in the country, and not worry about trespassing as long as they didn't damage anything. Most of the rural neighbors knew each other at least to some extent.
I remember instances, like when my mother would take coffee and snacks out to my dad (and whoever else was working with him) in the field. Or when we discovered our dog or one of the cats holed up with a litter of young. Or camping over night in the woods, and cooking edible wild plants and trying to get my brothers to eat them with me. I remember country stores, particularly the one my grandparents owned on their farm in Tennessee.
Just the beauty of the country side, with its farms, woods, fields, fence rows inspires me.
In many parts of the nation, the rural way of life is declining. Family farms fall by the wayside as factory farms take over, and knock out the fencerow vegetation that used to be habitat for wildlife. My artwork is an attempt to preserve it, at least in memory, if not in actuality.
