I used part of my lunch break one day at work early this week and took my thumb box up to a nearby dairy farm to do a quick little study of some of the cows as they were resting in a grove of trees near their barn. I added just a few touch-ups this morning in my class. If you've ever tried to paint some boats that were moared out in a bay and found that after you had one about half painted, it had turned 45 degrees or so and you no longer had the same view of the boat as what you had started on your canvas...painting cows can be a very similar experience. They do not adhere to a studio model's practice of holding a pose for twenty minutes or so...and every once in awhile you'll look up from your canvas to find the one you were working on is now walking back to the barn.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Cows in the Grove - 6 x 8 Oil Sketch by Steve Wetzel
I used part of my lunch break one day at work early this week and took my thumb box up to a nearby dairy farm to do a quick little study of some of the cows as they were resting in a grove of trees near their barn. I added just a few touch-ups this morning in my class. If you've ever tried to paint some boats that were moared out in a bay and found that after you had one about half painted, it had turned 45 degrees or so and you no longer had the same view of the boat as what you had started on your canvas...painting cows can be a very similar experience. They do not adhere to a studio model's practice of holding a pose for twenty minutes or so...and every once in awhile you'll look up from your canvas to find the one you were working on is now walking back to the barn.
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8 comments:
Yep! I've had that experience with boats and your comment about the cow walking back to the barn was hilarious. Nice job, regardless of the uncooperative ole Bessie.
Such a great composition--love the push and pulls of the diagonals and the strong vertical tree on the left, love the grayish sky,the color palette, love the cows.
Such a beautiful piece, Steve. I love the colors of the grasses and trees, so perfect for this time of year.
Oh yeah. Happens a lot with cars too. Cows are especially frustrating because they are so peaceful and great subjects.
Marvelous soft blending. Looks great!
Funny -- I had the same experience with alpaca. You were able to capture the cows very nicely in such a short time.
I was on the beach in Ocean City NJ a few years ago when the life gaurds took the little row boat right out of my composition. Ha! Great post Steve - this was a great way to use your time!
Cows make wonderful subject matter for a painting, but they can be very uncooperative as models. This is a terrific painting, and you got the sense of the cows, even if they did keep moving! Love the painting, and your story that went with it - what I consider to be a perfect post :)
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