ARTFINDER: An Old Fashioned Christmas by Richard De Wolfe - At the turn of the century, the main mode of wi...

ARTFINDER: An Old Fashioned Christmas by Richard De Wolfe - At the turn of the century, the main mode of wi...

 "An Old Fashioned Christmas" by Richard De Wolfe 30" x 48" alkyd on canvas

At the turn of the century, the main mode of winter
transportation was by horse drawn sleigh or “cutter” as depicted here.  The scene is typical of many
communities in Eastern Canada and the North Eastern United States.  It is dawn on Christmas morning, and
people are gathering at the church for an early Christmas service.

 Many modern day Amish and Mennonite families still travel in horse drawn vehicles and sleighs in winter, though the type that they favour are much less flambouyant than this one.

ARTFINDER: Days of Gold by Richard De Wolfe - Clydesdale horses have been used to work the la...

ARTFINDER: Days of Gold by Richard De Wolfe - Clydesdale horses have been used to work the la...

"Day of Gold" by Richard De Wolfe 18"x24" alkyd on canvas

Clydesdale horses have been used to work the land on farms in the British Isles, Europe and North America for centuries.  For the most part, these powerful work horses have been replaced by modern tractors and other machinery, but there are many people who still keep these mighty draft animals for logging, small farm operations, parades, horse pulls and ploughing matches, and even just for pets.

The team pictured here are pulling a "Scottish rig", single-furrow plow, turning the sod for the ancient farmer who holds the reins and guides them with a steady hand.  I painted this picture in memory of my father, who was born in 1906 and worked with heavy horses much of his life.

I do a lot of farm and horse paintings, which is natural enough, since my wife and I have operated an equestrian riding and training facility for many years.  Most of our horses are either for show or lessons, but occasionally we board a heavy horse for one of our clients.  I am always awed by the size and power of these gentle draft animals.

The painting is available for sale directly, or through www.artfinder.com.  Prints in various sizes and in many configurations, framed or otherwise, are available at www.rdewolfe.com.

ARTFINDER: Getting Aquainted by Richard De Wolfe - When I was a very young boy, my father kept a f...

ARTFINDER: Getting Aquainted by Richard De Wolfe - When I was a very young boy, my father kept a f...

"Getting Acquainted" by Richard De Wolfe 18 x 24 alkyd oil on canvas

When I was a very young boy, my father kept a few farm animals, as well as flocks of chickens, ducks and turkeys to help provide for our large family.  He had already stopped keeping cattle by that time, but I was very familiar with cows and calves on neighbouring farms in our rural community as I was growing up.

"Getting Acquainted" is a fanciful interpretation of my father introducing a 3year old 'me' to a young calf in the barnyard in spring.  For many poeple, it represents a nostalgic memory of life on the family farm in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

I love creating paintings that bring back memories of my childhood in farm country along the St. Lawrence River, in Ontario, Canada.  Life seemed so simple then, but that is more a product of the innocence of childhood than the reality of those times.  We had polio, World War 2, DDT, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Cuban missile crisis and many more life-threatening situations to cope with, not so different from today.  I think the difference is that the past is 'known' and the future must always remain 'unknown'.  Enjoy life and tell someone that you love them.