Sunday, May 11, 2014

Refugio Road Alfalfa Field

"Alfalfa Field"
12" X 16" Oil on Panel

There is something about farm fields that just draw the eye in. I guess it's just the immense size and geometric patterns they can have...linear draws to the eye. This field is about 10 minutes drive over in Santa Ynez enjoying late afternoon sun...the cut alfalfa just drying away. In case you're not a farmer, they cut the alfalfa when it's ready but freshly cut alfalfa is too rich with water in it so it has to dry laying in the field in rows like this...then it's turned over to dry the other side. After that it will be scooped up by the baling machine and then stacked to further dry and store until it's sold or eaten.
I'd just like the drive the machines they use to do all of this because they look so cool. I'm sure it's hot weather doing all of this too. In Oklahoma in 1976 they payed you a nickel a bale to lift the bales onto flatbed trucks....it's all done by machine now.

2 comments:

David King said...

A very tranquil scene Ron, I definitely got the sense of low evening light in this. I wouldn't mind just sitting there and watching the sun go down.

Ron Guthrie said...

Thanks David. Yep, the light was low due to the setting sun so it made for the great long shadows across the field. The day I took this photo I was painting a vineyard scene just down the road and heading home. Snap snap snap goes the camera, ha!

Thanks again for checking it out David.