Black & White Cow
Cow 223
Cow 223
Part of a collaborative series of Barnyard Animals Paintings created with artist Phil Dynan. We have been passing paintings back and forth for more than 15 years of collaborative projects. Including many years of San Francisco Marathon Poster designs, Tahoe Marathon, Tucson Marathon, San Diego Marathon, California International Marathon, and many more running events. Plus we have collaborated on many series of paintings, plus book publications and so much more from our productive artistic partnership. When we collaborate we come up with ideas on the ideas and I find that it is not a sum of the artistic minds, but a multiplication in which our delight and drive to create is amplified.
The Animal Barnyard series is one of the most fun series and most widely received with genuine delight that we have ever worked on. And it is also one of the series that most incorporates our favourite styles to work in. And it happened that this series originated with our love of animals. Every animal is the series is known to us somehow. They are generally rescues, special pets and friends creatures.
Cow 223 is a collection enjoyed by a young family that kept coming to see her. They had collected prints and cards of her from the Woodside Grill in Anderson, California. She went home with them for Christmas. They made a great case for her adoption and helped fund some of our future paintings and continued animal rescues.
This Barnyard Animal was inspired by a cow milking experience on the cattle range around our studio location. We went out for an early run on the range and met up with the cowhand families favourite spring Sunday activity. They gathered for brunch to milk the cow whose baby was tied to a near tree. And we had hot chocolate milk. Shaved spicy chocolate with fresh milk onto, hot and whole from the cow. And the baby is comfortable with the routing and is actually with mom and safe. Much nicer than separated shortly after birth for a full time milker. And the drink itself is filling a fabulous. Also, we have found even those of us who usually would be lactose intolerant can enjoy whole raw milk without the side effects of pasteurisation's exploded molecules running amok.
Cow 223 as a side benefit became very friendly with us and allowed us to touch and explore her. She is a sweet beauty that inspired a great landscape background.
