Paint hay while the sun shines
Artist: Rachel Warren
Materials: Farm materials and acrylic paint

Artist

As an artist who is married to a dairy farmer this project really appealed to me. ‘Paint hay while the sun shines’ was inspired by the colours, textures, movement and stillness of my environment and represents the various stages of dairy farming that rely on the weather throughout the changing seasons. I have used raw farm materials such as silage/hay bales, wooden crates, rusty metals and a variety of paints. Expressive painting on the bales out in the sunshine has was a real joy. My husband (Marty the farmer) shifted all the bales into place on the tractor to complete this large-scale installation.

Farmer

Located at 50 Hastings Road
Outtrim

The 1200-acre dairy farm at 50 Hastings Road is located in the heart of Outtrim with views over the picturesque undulating hills of Korumburra, Kongwak and Jumbunna. As you arrive to view the large-scale and colourful hay bale installation, you will notice at the gate both the names of farmer Marty Lamers and his wife, assemblage and expressive artist Rachel Warren. Marty and his brothers are second-generation dairy farmers, a legacy passed down by their Dutch father Tony Lamers. The family milk approximately 600 black and white Friesian cows which are destined for cheese and yogurt.

Although Marty completed a Fine Arts Degree and is passionate about photography, after a few years of travel, life in the country beckoned. Once back at home, he soon discovered that he loved the life on the land and settled back in.

‘I love working with the cows and on the farm’ shares Marty in a humble  manner as he talks about the large operation he runs with his brothers. One can tell that he beams with pride as he speaks of his wife Rachel and their three children. All the teenagers are creative but express it in their own unique way and the whole family is engaged in the family business in some way. Above all, Rachel shares that the farm has been an absolute oasis for raising their children.

‘Paint hay whilst the sun shines’ evokes the poetic intuitive nature of the artist blended with the seasoned practicality of a farmer’s wife. ‘My studio is everywhere’ Rachel points out. It is indeed in her front yard where she paints at her easel in the sun or forages the old sheds for her art installations. She looks within her own backyard for inspiration rather than looking outwards. When she is not at home, Rachel teaches at the local Korrumburra Primary school where her favourite time of year is curating the art exhibition with the school children.

The eight bales long and three bales high structure was assembled with Marty’s help. ‘Paint Hay whilst the sun shines’ showcases the cycle of life on a dairy farm. The textures and colours represent the seasonal farming practices as well as the associated sentiments of the seasons.

In autumn, the paddocks are power harrowed and new grass seed is sewn. The colours Rachel chose are various shades of browns with the odd pink and aqua silage bales which are resting in the paddocks waiting to be fed to the cows next season. Rusty panels imprinted on the silage mimic the repairs, which take place at that time of year.

In winter, as the hay is being fed out to the cows in the muddy paddocks, the artist uses the golden hay bales together with rescued wooden pallets - there is an air of dormancy and stillness at this time of year also visible on the structure.

As spring comes around, movement begins again on the farm as the cows are calving and silage is being made. Black tyres represent the busy-ness of the tractors on the land. The plastic of the silage has been painted, scraped and applied by hand in earthy, golden and green tones.

Summer is depicted in a combination of bales complete with black and white hues, highlighting the Friesian cows, the pink hues reminds us of the milking and the cows’ udders.

Rachel shares that she is inspired and influenced by Rosalie Gascoigne and adds - ‘I make art because I enjoy it, not because I have to show it or sell it’. There is a sense of place and home at Marty and Rachel’s farm. There is an obvious ease and generosity in the pair and this is apparent in the willingness to take on such a bold installation as well as share the stories of their life at the farm.

On your way there, don’t forget your camera, the surrounding landscape on the dirt road is breathtaking both at sunset and sunrise; the everyday materials that have been assembled are anything but ordinary through the eyes of Rachel as she tells the story of her husband, the country dairy farmer.

By Beatrice Imbert

Artist
Rachel Warren

Farmer
Marty Lamers