Karen J. Adamson

Karen J. Adamson
Belarus Tractor, 2017
Oil on canvas

Artist Statement

The painting represents a photo I took while sitting in the cab of an orange Belarus tractor. One front-end loader arm, exhaust stack, and the vertical bar of the corner of the cab with mirrors attached are inside. The rear-view mirror captures the figures with hats working at repairing the baler that is hooked on behind the tractor. This “square-baler” shape is instantly recognizable to older farmers. The white spot in the same mirror represents me or the camera’s eye as sunlight reflects off the lens. The side-view mirror shows just a strip of the roof of the cab.

I’ve begun to realize that I am most satisfied with compositions that require time to absorb and appreciate. Pictures that are instantly understood and easily enjoyed become boring. If you can interpret the image in more than one way, the brain of the viewer is stimulated. I like to use paint in a way that sometimes draws the eye to the surface of the canvas.