Miss Pasture 2013

I like to think of these bovine beauties as contestants in a beauty Pageant. Miss Pasture 2012.

And yes, I know how bizarre that concept is but seriously, how cute would they be with a tiara and a sash?

Pageant categories would have to include: Sashaying, lowing and eye batting. Keep your eyes away from the udders!!!! They are not THAT kind of cow!

Perhaps I shall make a cow calendar....12 Months of cow....or cow icons ( holy Cow!).

Sorry, I have been alone too long today, but I am so grateful for the peace after what has been a wild weekend of our usual manic family lifestyle.

mmmmmoooooving on.

Contestants
1200mm x 900mm
Acrylic

Available at the Garden Art Studio

Pop cows

It is school holidays and I am knee deep in kids, some not my own, but I have discovered the key to happy kids is a combination of various factors:

• multiples work well together..the more, the merrier.
• exhaust them, physically and mentally
• make sure they eat breakfast (seriously)
• introduce fun elements into their day
• say "yes" when they expect "no"
• do not discount old favourite like libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds as options
• have an incredible stash of sweets that you offer as reward for good behaviour
• ignore the bad, keep focussing on the good
• playdates...make them in advance
• earplugs

So, I am frequently interrupted and have to work from the home studio at the moment. I am experimenting with acrylics.....sounds tame but it has it's challenges and I am working through them. Inspired by Warhol and the vibrant colours.I like painting multiples of things...I am just changing the format a bit,playing around.

Pop cows
acrylic on canvas
450mm x 600mm

available on my website

Bony- ass cow

Seriously, I need help with the titles of my cows! I am painting a herd, so there's lots of scope!

Bony-ass cow
45 x 60 cm
oil on canvas

How I love painting cows!

I made this collage after realising that I have painted cows in many ways, in different mediums and on different substrates ...and I still love painting them.

Don't all look at once!

You know when you are trying to show a friend someone but you don't want them to overtly all turn and stare at the same time so it becomes obvious that you are talking about the poor sod? These guys didn't get the " don't all look at once" memo.

61x61cm
Acrylic on canvas

She said WHAT?!?

Silly title, but this backward glance was a delight to paint.
12 "x 12"
30x30 cm
Acrylic on stretched canvas

Cow theme continued

I recognise that sometimes I get something right in a painting, but something else makes it a miss more than a hit. So I take the hit, try analyse what makes that part work and then retry it, often in a different format or colour or size. I like the looseness I get with the cows at the moment, so I am working with that and trying not to be too controlled and "right" about detail.
This is quite small,30cm by 15cm.

School is back and holidays are over, so hopefully, I can get painting again. We had a lovely time together but the boys are all about action, and painting, no matter what anyone tells you, is not on their radar as a fun filled activity.

Bless their manic little minds!

Psycho cows and other things

I painted some cows....my monochromatic friends were black and white. I was not excited about them. Then I introduced a good idea(colour) but went a little crazy and hence,psycho cows are on the canvas. I like the idea but I will rework it from beginning with the colour in mind and be more carefull with the placement of paint. But, here they are in anycase....


And then, I painted this for my friend Helene. Well, I painted this with her in mind.

It is not massive, 25cmx50cm, but I really like it's warmth, much like Helene herself!

This is a detail of the painting.

I am on a mission to paint small for a while, not miniatures, but small enough that I have to THINK about my brushstrokes and the paint application as a one stroke exercise, not a three stroke mess!

The Milking Shed

I live in a dairy farming region of New Zealand. There are cows EVERYWHERE!

I am gratefull I do not have to get up to milk them myself and just get to paint them. The early morning light is beautifull ...but it does not make up for the cold and the incredibly antisocial hours one keeps as a dairy farmer!