For a redux size of approx. 16"x24" Oil on board.  Allow 3 mo min. for creation dry time
 
This work is part of a solo Exhibit at The Oxbow Hotel in Eau Claire WI
MIDWESTERN PALIMPSESTS

New paintings by Joe Maurer

Palimpsests l noun - a manuscript or piece of writing on which original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.

"The image making process started by looking backward.  Working on midwestern newspapers from the 1940’s, a technique was used to preserve the papers in wax.  I have a curiosity about our inherited animal stories, including farm animals, whose lives typically do not make headlines.  This is true especially in times of war.  The images are meditations on time and place and how the story changes.  Some are success stories.  Some are about new beginnings.  Some are about loss.  Fast forward to present day, will these be the stories of resilience in a time of friction in our world?  The stories are unfinished and are a call to action to get the facts and protect everyday wonders in nature and the values of the small farmer.”

- Joe Maurer