I conceived this image from a dream as I was waking, as many of my paintings have emerged. The discarded agriculture equipment left along the fence-rows or in the edges of woods, prompted the idea. Three friends determine they will get the girl running again.  On their own and ignoring the laughter of men-folk, they pulled the cold-metal hulk into the yard from the back woodlot where she had been discarded four years ago. Like a cookbook, the maintenance manual instructs the ‘how-to’ steps to adjust tappets, rocker-arms, and timing belt, rebuild carburetor, replace filters and gaskets, install new distributor, starter motor, and exhaust, It’s not so hard to figure out the ingredients that must go into the recipe, towel, apron, time, persistence, a little elbow grease, and cook it up.

I had two reference photos of the old John Deere, taken while exploring a farm in Illinois.  All of the rest of the painting came from imagination and memory.