iris

I have been painting cow portraits for seven years. It all started after meeting a particularly amiable cow in Norfolk on holiday. The cow, Spike, posed for photographs and I began to appreciate the velvety texture of their noses, the kind quality of their gaze and the way the sun reveals a myriad of colours in their coats. Some have said that it was the hormonal state of my brain whilst pregnant with my children that led me to start on the path of cow portraiture. Others will know that I have always been inclined to talk to cows and admire their dribbling insouciance. Whatever the reason, I am now an avid cow portrait painter. Now living in Sherborne, I wake up, pull the curtains and say hello to the cows in the field at the back of my house. All around it is easy to find willing models and enthusiastic cow-admirers. The portraits concentrate on the animal, removing all background cues, to allow their charisma to emerge.

 I enjoy working on mostly large scale paintings, playing with colour and texture in an attempt to achieve a bold but appealing outcome. I have exhibited with great success in two Somerset Art Weeks. A stand at the Bath and West show in 2006 resulted in an appearance on HTV news. My work has also been exhibited at galleries in Bath, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. I will have around ten original canvasses for sale at venue 53 "Country Matters" for Somerset Art Weeks 2009 starting on September 19th.

See the cows and buy a print if you wish at www.cowsoncanvas.com