The Team (1991)

Every March my wife and I spend a day at the "Mud Sales" in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is an event held where the Amish buy and sell anything they can use on their farms. There are quilts, home canned food, household items, farm equipment, buggies and carts, and horses. The horse auction is unlike anything I have ever seen. The men (and many of their sons) gather in a very wide circle. On the auctioneer's signal, boys trot the horses into the ring for auction. The horses range from a slim horse that "the wife" might use to drive her buggy to town, to huge work horses that are used for plowing. They are often sold in pairs and the pair usually look alike in size and breed. This breed is called Belgian. We were on our way home from the auction when we drove by a farm and there standing in the barnyard, awaiting signals from the farmer to move, was this pair of horses. I was mesmerized with the whole scene .... The harness and tack, the wonderful smell of horseflesh, the patience of the huge animals, their size, their feet, and the step back into another era of horse power. I HAD to paint and loved every minute.

Prints are 85-95% of original size, except where noted otherwise.

Dimensions of Original:  36"W x 24"H