The agricultural life is always inspiring to me along with the beauty of the Northwest and the farm country of the Palouse. What motivates me is the desire to pay tribute to a way of life that in itself is an art, and to the farmers who unfortunately seem to be becoming fewer each year.
The mediums used in my art pieces are mixed metals that come from discarded, used parts and contorted, broken fragments of agricultural life. Some are from equipment we use today, while others are found in fields, and hidden in dusty corners of barns and abandoned buildings.
Although the process is somewhat different each time, most often, a particular part catches my eye because of its uniqueness, or because it “looks like a .....”. I then lay it out on a flat surface and begin to form its basic outline shape. From there, I decide which piece to start with and begin welding each individual part together , adding the details as I go. It is intense, but exciting watching its new 3-D form emerge and take shape.
It is my hope that those who view my art pieces will see, not only the beauty of the art itself , but will also see each individual, worn ag part, as a strong reminder of the continuous, hard, daily grind in the life of a farmer.
- Lori Hay, 2007
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