Two Pair

"Two Pair"
8" x 10" oil on gessoed masonite

These sun-struck pairs are in a pasture less than a mile from my house and belong to our county's sheriff. I really enjoy seeing the new calves appearing. I've noticed that the farmers in this area have changed the cycle that used to have the calves showing up in early spring. This reference picture was taken as the grass was just really greening up this spring and the calves were already good size. The winters are fairly mild here in Georgia, but the summers can be brutal with drought a real issue lately... that may explain it.

My study of Deb Pero's painting

Study of Deb Pero's "Shade Seekers" SOLD
8" x 10" oil on gessoed masonite - nfs

After painting three Hereford cows plein air this past weekend at a farm, I decided to noodle around with the study I'd done of Deb Pero's pasture scene. I realized that my colors were too bold to achieve the atmosphere that comes from viewing things at a distance. So here's my 'noodled' version... I like it much better. Thanks, Deb, for such a sweet little piece to play with!

Heads or Tails

"Heads or Tails"
8" x 10" acrylic on gessoed masonite
Xanadu Gallery

This is the first in a series of high school rodeo paintings that I'm doing. The bright afternoon sun was low in the sky and casting fantastic shadows across everything, including these roping steers that were waiting for the events to start... reluctantly, I'm sure. I was very glad to see that the High School Rodeo Association put protective headgear on these steers to prevent rope burns when they were lassoed.

Bulls in Muck

"Bulls in Muck" SOLD
7" x 7" acrylic on gessoed masonite
4/18/2009 Received 'Honorable Mention' in painting category
in "Georgia in Bloom"

Normally pastoral scenes are luscious green grass and sleek colorful cows...not so, this one! The reference photo of these young 'white' Charolais bulls after an early spring rain was taken in Alabama from the window of my car while stopped at a traffic light. To the right of this pasture was a school and to the left was a car lot. There was a large red barn in the far ground that looked like it was slowly sinking into the ground with age. I'll paint that on another day.

I had fun with this one because I painted it in my lap and allowed myself to noodle to my hearts content with little brushes and do repeated glazes. I purposefully left it 'unprecise' to accentuate the gritty feel of dirt and the fleeting glimpse of this scene as urbanity takes over the land it inhabits.

Alabama Cow

"Alabama Cow" SOLD
4"x12"x1/2" acrylic on visual edge canvas

Karin said to have fun with these 'different stroke' images... so I did! A flat green background and lots of color give this bovine a whimsical feeling, yet the realistic drawing and brushwork prevent her from being cartoonish. I really like the feeling of the two treatments mixed together with this subject matter. M-M-Moo!