James Ayers
American Icons, 2023
Oil on Canvas
48 x 60 in
$17,300
This work draws on the iconic farm imagery of North America. Any American, no matter where they come from, will connect with the familiar red barn and green tractor. Growing up in New England, I thought these objects were beautiful and majestic. Early on in art school I was tempted to capture a barn located in Milton, MA. I was busy sketching away when the property owner came down the road and asked me to leave as I was trespassing. At long last, I finally managed to capture its beauty here!
There are several ways in which I tried to undo the traditional imagery of the piece. Again, I used expressive spray paint lines to slightly shift the work from being overly representational. The painting appears glitched as if I had dropped it on the ground and let the paint settle naturally back into place.