What is the most interesting thing you have painted and why?
Debra Joy Groesser: The funniest/most interesting thing I’ve painted was at a retreat in the Kansas Flint Hills with a group of artists a few years ago. We were staying at a ranch together. I was one of the first to arrive and was intrigued by several old rusty farm implements and equipment arranged around the entrance to the ranch. One had a big blade on the back, so I thought it was some kind of plow. None of the other artists knew what it was. What caught my eye was the backlit scene – the almost neon glow of the grass underneath it, the negative spaces of the wheels, and the beautiful colors in the rust. It ended up being my favorite painting of the trip. When I got home, I showed it to my husband, who grew up on a farm. To my shock and surprise, his first words were, “Nice manure spreader, honey!” I had NO idea that was what it was. He went on to explain how it worked, all the parts and what they did. So the lesson learned, which I like to share with my students, is that anything can be beautiful if the light is right – even a manure spreader!
To see more of Debra’ work, visit:
website
