Dirt plays an incredibly important role in daily life on a farm. It is a livelihood. It must be maintained so that it doesn’t erode away. It must be cared for so that it has the proper nutrients for crops to thrive. Dirt is tracked into the house on shoes and clothes and washed from the hands of the farmer before supper. It is the playground of children and provides tangibility for their imagination. It is where beloved pets and family members are laid to rest. It only makes sense to me that such essential matter be employed as a material in the creation of my artwork; elevating it from is literal lowly stature to a platform where it can be celebrated. These two works take the dirt out of the dustpan, using it both visually and symbolically to tell stories of rural life in Kansas.