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 truffle hunter. Truffles are revered as the diamond of the kitchen, and they have been hunted for millennia. Their origin was a mystery for some time, with the Ancient Greeks and Romans thinking they came from lightning, thunder, and rain. We now know that they are the fruiting bodies of a subterranean fungus that grows around tree roots. They must be harvested when ripe, and the female pig is naturally equipped for the task. A compound within the truffle is nearly identical to androstenol, the sex pheromone found in boar saliva, and thus, the sows are rabidly attracted to it. Truffle hogs are still in use today, although many have been replaced by trained truffle dogs, notably the Lagotto Romagnolo breed. The dogs are easier to control in the field and do less damage to the delicate root-like structure of the truffle (called the mycelia). However, traditionalists argue that the truffle hogs find better-tasting truffles.

The Truffle Hunter IV was created with acrylic paint, and 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.