For several months now, I’ve been working on a series of portraits of women farmers. I love it! Agriculture has always been an interest of mine. Combine that with portraiture and a women’s college education, and this is what you get. The farmers are all located in northwest Oregon. Their products range from mushrooms to fruits to goats cheese. These women have been extremely kind, allowing me to visit them and hear their stories while I steal a few pictures to take home and paint. I am interested in learning about how they got started, how their businesses developed over the years, and what obstacles they have come up against as women and as farmers. I have visited 12 farmers on their farms: Jennifer Olsen of The Mushroomery, Julia Sunkler of My Pharm, Alice Fairfield of Fairfield Farm, Lisa and Nancy Hubbe of Sweetwell Farm, Tommie van de Kamp of Queener Fruit Farm, Jan Neilson of Fraga Farm, Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards, Karen Finley of Queen Bee Honey Company, Scottie Jones of Leaping Lamb Farm, and Merrilee Buchanan Benson of Tyee Wine Cellars, Hannelore Ondrusek of Price Creek Family Farm, and Andrea Davis of Kings Valley Gardens. You can see some of their portraits below:
Oil on canvas, 2x2
Oil on canvas, 2x2
Oil on canvas, 2x2
The paintings will be on display for about a year after completion of the series. Then paintings will be for sale. In the meantime, please contact me if you would like to buy a print.
