T.D. Motley

An aging artist-farmer in North Texas tends his thirty-acre sanctuary while development closes in, balancing painting, teaching, and family life. This quiet, wry novel celebrates stewardship, community, and creativity as acts of resistance, where gardens, animals, and night skies shape a deeply rooted sense of home.

The Art of Farming celebrates a symbiosis of plants, humans, dogs and livestock, with wildlife cousins on the fringes. Retired art teacher, Sam, markets herbs and produce, aided by his lovely “sidekick” Annie, and a handful of local after-school teens. A scheming donkey named Sol is this charming story’s formidable antagonist.