6x24 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper on stained maple panel
$495

The Jobs of Yesteryear series combines history and surrealism to tell the stories of obsolete jobs. A contemporary glimpse into the past, these mixed media paintings serve as a reminder of a time and stories long forgotten.

This particular Job of Yesteryear mixed media painting features a farmer. Farmers are among the oldest jobs and the plow is one of the most impactful tools they developed to help them clear and work the land in order to grow food. The earliest examples of plows were basically sticks used to dig up and loosen the soil for planting. These “scratch plows” were used by Ancient Sumerians nearly 5,000 years ago. The plow was upgraded with iron by the Romans in the 8th century and John Deere’s steel plow greatly aided farmers turning the heavy, dense soil of the American Midwest. Plows were pulled by horse or oxen in the 1800s and early 1900s until the gasoline-powered tractor largely replaced the beasts of burden.

The Farmer IV was created with acrylic paint. The long-limbed character was cut from paper and collaged with kraft paper. The Jobs of Yesteryear are thought-provoking conversation pieces that will bring an air of history and whimsy to any room.