This is a new animal painting. Yes, I said animal, as in COWs gone wild. You know me, I get stuck on something and I can't let it go. (I call them
PASSIONS) I have to paint it this way and that way and I had these great photographs that I had taken of dairy cows and I wondered.... can I convey the energy and tension and curiosity of these animals that I felt when I was kneeling in that cow pen and they were coming forward intense and curious about the camera. It's not an easy thing to convey emotion, I found. Somewhere I read that you can use "fighting colors" to convey tension or energy. And of course, eyes and stance can convey feelings and erratic line and form can be emotive, but without instruction a new artist just simply has to experiment and so I was exploring this process through this cow painting.
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| 24X36 acrylic on canvas "Brave & Bold with A Sista on your Side" SOLD |
I'm in this amazing closed facebook art community through Flora Bowley's class and this group of women just continually inspire me with their best art and push me with gentle nudges for more. Sometimes when I get stuck on a painting I can post it there first, and for some reason, I feel encouraged to bring it home for them- like a waiting audience that is cheering you on toward a finish line. My setting is fairly isolated like I'm sure a lot of people feel in rural environments. I hope you can find a community some way that has some expectation of you and encourages you to succeed. (thank you girlfriends- you know who you are!) These cows remind me of how we push forward, curious and bold and brave, and a little scared, but determined to learn something new.
AND The other animal that I'm passionate about in my life (and slightly sleep-deprived):
MEET GURDY - the 6 week labradoodle that has made a home at Krantz farms and in our hearts! More stories to come.
