Friesianportrait1 copy

The last picture in the series of Friesian Cattle
Cow Over the Hedge Portrait, 50×70 cms, oil on canvas, 2012

 

Cows viewed through a hedge, a fence or gap in a wall have become a recurring theme in my work over the past twenty years. Our garden is bordered by hawthorn hedges, interspersed with brambles, ash and oak and dog rose, which have been hand layed by my brother Frank, still farming in the old Leicestershire tradition.

Friesian, Bry0ny and Hawthorn. oil on canvas, 50 x 50 cms 

The Friesians which graze in the water meadows alongside the house feature largely in my most recent paintings. The leaves, tendrils and branches and other foliage that frame the cattle are given equal importance in my compositions, resulting in a subtle blend of colour and texture, as in a tapestry. The mapping of black and white markings on the Friesian cows give rise to abstract shapes contrasting starkly, but at the same time harmonising with, the camouflage of the hedgerows.

White Faced Friesian Through Hole in the Wall, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cms NFS

Black Faced Friesian Through Hole in the Wall, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cms (for sale)

Cows & Bronze Hazel Leaves, oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cms (for sale)

Friesians Through My Fence & Nettles, oil on canvas, 160 x 80 cms

Friesian in the Ditch Over the Hedge, oil on canvas, 120 x 80 cms (for sale)

Cow Eating Nettles, oil on canvas, 80 x 100 cms      (for sale)

Piebald, Blue & White, oil on canvas, 80 x 186 

Sunlight in Barn, oil on canvas, 80 x 118 cms

Charollais, oil on board, NFS

Oil sketch of Red Cow, oil on canvas, 12 x 12 cms NFS

Friesians Through the Barbed Wire & Hedge, NFS

Friesian Calves at Sunset, oil on canvas, 50 x 100 cms