Robert Vincent Smith, better known as Bob Smith, started drawing tractors, trucks, and cars before he started school. He grew up on a farm in the northwest corner of Iowa and had a continuous supply of models for his drawings. As a teen, he helped his Dad and Uncles on the farm and spent countless hours on those very machines.

Then he left the farm, worked for a while as an automobile mechanic, married, raised a family of six, and completed a 32 year career in the military. During all those years, he had little time to draw, but the urge to continue never left him.

When he retired in 1996, his children presented him with a gift of a set of professional grade colored pencils. Then the fun began. He discovered that with those pencils and a black pen, he could produce meticulous detail and bring back some of the humorous incidents he remembers. After completing several pictures, he found that others enjoyed the stories they depict as well. He put up a display of his work at a local threshing bee. He continues to do that each summer and enjoys chatting with the people that visit his display. Almost everyone has a story to tell of their personal experiences with those wonderful old machines.

Bob has a notebook full of ideas for future pictures and with a little luck and help from the Almighty, we will be seeing more of them in the future.