Every picture tells a story
18.05.12
BLOOMVILLE - Out on TR 58, near Bloomville, is the Rusty Plow Country Gallery, owned by Tiffin Art Guild member, Joe Todd. His studio is located in one room of the rural residence, and the living room serves as an exhibition space. The walls are hung with portraits and paintings of rustic, country scenes.
Retirement from Atlas in Fostoria in 1998 gave Todd more time to devote to his painting, sketching and woodcarving. His Hispanic roots and interests in nature, hunting and agriculture have influenced the images that appear in his art.
Todd said his ancestors came to the U.S. from Mexico.
"A lot of them used to be migrants. Some of them settled in the northern states because of the factory jobs," Todd said. "That's been a while. A lot of that occurred in the '40s and '50s."
For a time, his family operated a Mexican restaurant in Luckenbach, located in Texas hill country. Todd said his mother still lives in Texas, but he doesn't get there often.
As a child, he lived with his grandparents in Benton Ridge. Todd said he remembers having to repeat first grade because he spoke little at school.
Source: Tiffin Advertiser Tribune