“Night Harvest” ©Ruth Armitage 2014 40″x30″ Oil & Wax $2400

Here is a new image in my “Down on the Farm” Series. I’m really enjoying using the Oil & Cold Wax to explore this subject. This painting was inspired by memories of late nights in the fields during harvest season. There was something more stimulating about continuing a long day’s work into the dark, driving machinery and having to really work to see what you were doing. Dust in the headlights, the soft glow in the sky, and the knowledge that we were working to beat the weather to bring in the crops tempered the exhaustion we felt and helped us hold on till a very late dinner hour of 10 p.m. or sometimes later. I wanted to combine some of the rich darks of the night sky with the earthy neutrals and brilliant primary colors of the machinery. Gestural line and texture suggests the activity and sometimes frenzy of the work.

Exciting Announcement from the Sitka Center: