Cow and Calf

I LOVE finding the time for quick paints not far from my front door - especially when they include mama and baby animals!  Now that the grass has been cut in the west field, I can see these sweethearts as they move about.  I watch for painting opportunities while working in the gardens, ready to drop everything and paint (sometimes, lol)!  The wildflowers are blooming abundantly on my side of the fence, so I use my Artistic License to drop them right into my painting!  Painting things like this just make me smile the whole time in doing it!  Painting number 4620 in 4620 days. 

 

Morning Rounds

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Once in a while, I am so inspired on location that the paintings roll through my mind as I'm soaking it all in.  This farm was such a place, and I knew I would have to paint this first.  The goats and cows were so engaged with their host, it seemed I was watching a children's story unfold.  I love where this painting took me and I'm looking forward to many more paintings like this!  Painting number 5045 in 5045 days. 

Hereford Face

I just love painting these beauties in the pasture!  There is something very soothing about painting out in the countryside, breathing in the fresh air, and listening to birdsong. The very overcast morning cleared long enough for me to paint, with raindrops starting as I headed back to the house.  Within about an hour a hailstorm rolled in, and a couple of tornado warnings rattled off as I watched the skies.  Now the sky is gorgeous, calling me out again to paint!  Painting number 2990 in 2990 days. 

Hereford Hello!

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I love a fresh, clean new palette!  Trying one of my newest additions - "essence" palette from Prima Watercolor Confections, it was a good choice for this day of wintery mix precipitation!  This momma cow was looking out for the babies as the others grazed nearby, so she came to the fence to check me out.  After sniffing my hand for treats, she wandered away, but remained close enough for me to get the information I needed.  I dropped in my ink before the color this time, and  like the way it mingled together with a little water.  It's fun to take ink and watercolor to the cattle - I normally do them in oil!  Painting number 2577 in 2577 days.

Cattle in the Pasture

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Today was "Baby Play Day", and the family with little ones gathered for lunch and play time. Rushing home from the gym, I had just enough time to get things ready.  After the kids went home, I was able to squeeze in this watercolor sketch before going to Alastair's karate belt ceremony. I used another new palette from Watercolor Confections - this one is "Essence".  Worked alright in the winter landscape, and I added just a hint of shimmering lights to some of the grasses.  I couldn't stop myself!  Painting number 2575 in 2575 days. 

Hereford Face

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I have completely switched gears with this one, feeling the need to mix things up.  I have been so immersed in the dark winter scenes, that today I just wanted to paint something fresh and different.  This big guy is one of my neighbors to the west, and each time I see them I want to paint them!  Fully intending to paint a few in the landscape, I instead zoomed in on the face and chose a square format. Well, this was way more challenging than I thought it would be, which only tells me that I need to paint a few more cows before I'm comfortable with them again!  Every painting is a lesson, after all.  Painting number 2247 in 2247 days.

Cow Face

Cow Face
Oil on canvas, 6x4
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While I was in Augusta, painting on a wonderful cattle farm, I took many photos of the beautiful cows.  This nosy boy strolled right up to the fence to see what I was doing in the tall grass with my easel.  One by one, many came right up to me, before heading back down to the creek for water.  This spot was a hidden treasure, nestled behind old sheds and farm equipment.  I could fill a book with just the reference for this one place.  I sure wish it was close enough to run by and paint en plein air!  This is painting number 11 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge, and 984 in 984 days for me :)

Holstein in the Pasture

Holstein in the Pasture
Oil on canvas, 8x6

There is something so peaceful about painting a pastoral.  It takes me right back to the carefree days of childhood, picking little white clover flowers and tying them together into necklaces - while watching the cows on the other side of the fence.  I'm creating a tranquil mood here by calming down the colors and adding some carefree strokes.  This is also a good study for me on the anatomy of a cow, I don't think I've ever drawn a whole cow before!  Painting number 386 in as many days and day 21 of the 30 day painting challenge.

"Choose Chicken"

Choose Chicken
oil on panel, 6x6

As a child, I loved visiting my Great Uncle Richard's farm in Adrian, Missouri.  He raised everything - beef cattle, dairy cattle, some pigs and other livestock.  We could always find kittens hiding in one of the sheds, and often there were baby cows we could feed with bottles.  Oh, how they slobbered all over everything!  My Grandma Frank always had black angus cattle, and their peaceful grazing was a joy to watch - unless they had jumped the fence!  Then it was "all kids in the house" while the grown-ups coaxed them back over with brooms or whatever was handy.  This was a super fun subject to paint today - I have never painted a cow close-up before!  Painting number 382 in as many days and Day 17 in the 30 day painting challenge :)