The Art of Farming - A Novel

Retired from teaching, artist Sam Bartlett farms his thirty acres while his popular paintings of vast prairies at sunsets sell well. 

He plans to sell the organic herbs and produce he harvests with his motley staff of local after-school teens. Begrudgingly raised on a farm, he once swore that he'd never go back, but time and age break promises.

Despite Sam's idyllic life, there's one foe he's forced to tangle with every day, and this formidable antagonist has four legs. Sol, a miniature donkey, schemes daily to outwit his kindly caretaker. 

The Art of Farming is a hopeful tale about stewardship of the land and our human relationships with animals and one another. This delightful rural drama regales a symbiosis of plants, humans, dogs, and livestock, with wild creatures observing from secluded, weedy perimeters, and honors the integrity of agriculture, as expressed in ancient literature and art. 

T.D. MOTLEY is a Texas painter and academic. Born in Beaumont, he’s been drawing since age three. Motley is Professor Emeritus of Art and Art History at Dallas College. His drawings and paintings have been shown in many national exhibits and are included in numerous U.S. and Texas collections.