Teamwork

This painting was from a scene I captured one weekend during 2004.

This was when my employer had given us a family day in a resort somewhere in the province of Guangdong.

For people who have never been living outside the city, much less near a farm in rural China, this painting must be captivating. For me it was a once a life time chance to see how our ancestors had been ploughing the land to put food on the family table.

This also conjures a sentiment that man and beast could team up going through the ages, until machinery and innovations caught on. The poem which accompanies the painting is reflective of the sentiment.

The fun I had out of this painting was in showing reflections in the water and the muddy stains on the legs of the farmer and the buffalo. The farmer had his eyes downcast in concentration whilst the buffalo had a resigned look. The two birds whilst taking a free ride could possibly contribute in picking bugs from the hair of the buffalo.

Team Work

For years our land we plough

When the weather allows

Our efforts as a team

Just like pillars and beams

Together we function

With determination

Long as we are able

Grow food for our table

We know there comes a day

Our work not good they say

Machines will take over

No role for us ever