I created these portraits to honor and preserve the rapidly disappearing family farm and the people whose heritage is deeply rooted in the rural agricultural tradition that helped build the American Midwest. I explored this world for several years by attending more than 50 small agricultural fairs and rural festivals across the Midwest. They often included antique steam-powered farm equipment. I was drawn to this subject matter because these people and the farm equipment they preserve – both once symbols of progress and innovation – now stand as relics of a bygone era.
