Herd’s “palette”, so to speak, comprises a vast range of different plants – some edible, some not. In order to express the colors embodied in Van Gogh’s painting, he employed kale, squash, cucumbers, oats, and wheat straw. Once the plants matured, they warmly expressed various shades of green, yellow, orange, and gold that go into classic landscape art. “It’s an iteration of Van Gogh’s painting writ large in native plants and materials,” stated Herd. “The opportunity to engage with one of my favorite artists in the world was pretty unique for me.”
Minnesota being Minnesota, Herd’s “crop art” doesn’t begin with planted seeds. Instead, Herd wields a rototiller to dig a frame into the meadow; then he plants specific species throughout the enclosed area much in the manner of a paint-by-numbers painting. Subsequently, Herd carefully trims the plants at various heights while digging furrows which express shadows and accentuate the image resulting in an embossed, 3D effect.
Herd knows his way around a field and comes by his knowledge of crops through having grown up on a farm. He knew from an early age, however, that the life of a farmer was not for him. His aim instead was to become an artist. “They work 70 hours a week and that was not my thing,” relates Herd. “I wanted to go to art school and drink wine and be an artist.” We’re not sure about his college drinking habits but it evidently didn’t harm his creativity since these days Herd is an in-demand landscape artist with a Crop Art portfolio scattered across fields in Australia, Brazil, Cuba, and England to name just a few. Now he can add Minnesota to the list. (all images and info ©WENN.com)


