Illinois Man Makes Art Out Of Farm Machinery

Illinois Man Makes Art Out Of Farm Machinery AG WORLD 28-1-22 David Carrington hasn't spent much time on a tractor, but he can describe many of them in detail. The Maple Park, Illinois, artist has built a business around capturing the images of antique tractors, cars, airplanes, and even construction equipment. He puts his work on canvas, paper, T-shirts, and even saw blades. "I get most of my business from going to local shows and fairs, and from satisfied customers telling their friends and neighbors about me," he says. "I'm not a farmer, but I've been interested in antique farm machinery for years," he says. So after taking classes in graphic design, he began painting for pay about six years ago. Carrington admits his artistry still doesn't pay the bills, but every year it's doing a little better. "Right now, I'm driving a school bus to supplement my income," he says. "Farmers love their old tractors, so that's mostly what I paint," he says. "But I'll take on any reasonable project. All I ask is for them to send me a photo of the subject from the angle they want it painted. I'll take it from there." He says he's had a few difficult assignments over the years, and when he got in a photo of a rusty beat-up old Ford tractor, he figured he had a really tough one. "I called the tractor owner and asked if he wanted me to paint the tractor as it would be when he was finished restoring it. He said he was finished with it and it that was exactly how he wanted it drawn," Carrington recalls. "I did what he asked and, in the end, I think it was some of my best work. The rough condition of the tractor gave the picture a lot of character that you don't see when the machine is restored to mint new condition." He says his most difficult assignment to date has been a steam engine. "It had a dual flywheel and it was very difficult to get it proportioned correctly," he says. While he'll use just about any type of paint or pencil on just about any surface, most of Carrington's work is what he calls marker rendering, usually done on Bristol board, a heavy paper that's easy to frame. "I do a lot of airbrush paintings on T-shirts, too. Only once in awhile do I get to do anything on canvas. That's usually trains or something like that," he says. Carrington will also do portraits of people, pets and even livestock. "I've painted a lot of grandchildren for people who first had me paint their antique tractor or auto," he says. He also paints farmsteads and farm scenery. For a marker rendering of an antique tractor on Bristol board, Carrington charges a fee of $100. Fees are the same for a painting of up to three persons, animals or machines. "I charge $25 for each additional face or item in the painting," he says. As for scenery or farmsteads, Carrington says those fees can be negotiated once he's seen a photo of the scene. He adds that rates are higher if he's required to paint on location rather than from a photo. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, David Carrington, 18425 Hinckley Road, Maple Park, Ill. 60151 (ph 815 827-3280).

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