Open edition with printed signature. Paper size 297 x 335 mm. Image size 230 x 290 mm
I came upon this abandoned Massey Ferguson tractor while walking on Mull and was first of all hit by the contrast between the bright red colour of the tractor and the complimentary green colour of the vegetation surrounding it. I was also fascinated by the way Nature seemed to be reclaiming it with the way the grass and plants were growing around - and through - the tractor, as if pulling it back into the soil from where the raw materials originally came.
A little history about Massey Ferguson - the company was founded in 1953 in the USA by the merging of two other agricultural machinery manufacturers - Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company in the UK. The company was initially called Massey-Harris-Ferguson then in 1958 the name was shortened to Massey-Ferguson. Massey Ferguson is now part of AGCO Corporation.
Massey Ferguson tractors are famous for being robust and reliable and have even served the US military in days gone by. It is internationally the largest and best known brand in the manufacturing of agricultural machinery with a history stretching back over 150 years.
I painted this picture a number of years ago and I guess by now, if it’s still there, it’ll be just a pile of rust and perished rubber. What a sad end to a beautiful old piece of agricutural machinery which no doubt worked hard for its keep back in the day! I am glad I found it and was able to preserve it as an image.
