Stars, Stripes, & Cowboys Foreve...
The rodeo arena was decorated with several huge American flags, which dwarfed the cowboys sitting below them. I’m...
Blind Side
He’s not really blind, just blinded by blinders. Trainers put all sorts of interesting contraptions on these harness...
Flare
A harness racing horse I photographed at the State Fair a couple of years ago. It’s painted in M. Graham gouache....
Jersey Girl
Found this pretty lady in the dairy barn at the Indiana State Fair. The barn has huge frosted windows along the...
Portrait of the Chicken as a Young Co...
This dashing young fellow looked like he was posing for a formal portrait, so I ignored his striking tail feathers...
Snoozin’
It was a hot and humid August day at the Indiana State Fair. This pig raised a lazy eyelid when he heard my camera,...
Boys
Boys, like all young animals, go through an awkward, gawky stage. Here a young Holstein observes his human...
Thunderstorm Warning
Does he hear tornado sirens in the distance? Summer storms are a common occurrence during State Fairs in the Midwest....
Clockwise
Know how to find state fairgrounds on a satellite image? Look for the racetrack. Almost every state fairground...
Nothing But Nose
A sheep in a trailer inspects its new surroundings upon arrival at the Indiana State...
Three In Hand
These sheep had just been unloaded from a truck and were headed for the barn. The biggest challenge here? Painting...
Painting the State Fair
State Fair, USA is artist Lesley Spanos' tribute to the American agricultural fair. "Just about anything I would want to paint can be found at the Fair."
The series is the culmination of years of research. Spanos has photographed and sketched her local fair - the Indiana State Fair - extensively for the past four summers, amassing a large collection of reference material for working in-studio. Ultimately the collection is destined for a book and fine art reproductions. (Read about the project in more depth here.)
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