Rags to Riches by John P. Cowan ~ "Painted in 1971, this is an 'earlier' picture with certain stylistic features that give a pretty good clue as to the date: some of the wet-dry passages in the sky, the overall tonality, and the way the rice stubble is indicated. Yet the subject - rice-field rag-spread goose hunting - has changed little in twenty years. The hunters' outfits and their rag gear are no different; and skies and rice stubble stay the same. Since the invention of the hammerless shotgun, the guns don't change much, either. So if I had painted this picture only yesterday, the subject would look very much the same except for subtle changes in painting technique, compositional concept, or choice of color scheme.- John P. Cowan.