This painting was a study derived from an article and accompanying photo in the New York Times c. 1994. The wonderful little article by Sara Rimer was about the autumn potato harvest in the Aroostook region of northeastern Maine. Credit for the original photograph belongs to H. Swanson.

This is an early oil painting for me, basically an oil study. The picture caught my attention during a period whereI was reading most of the quasi-Canuck Jack Kerouac's works. It also reminded me of earlier readings of John Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie...

I've never been to Maine myself, so I have no provenance or association with there. I just enjoyed the image and it fit well with what I had in mind about the region based on a little reading...