The Steer

A portrait can be of anything, a person, a flower, an animal; I wanted to paint a cow.  When I started looking for a photo of a cow I came across a great photo taken by Jessica Elenbaas.  I had already decided to paint one of her horse Getter, but I couldn't get the steer photo out of my head.  She again graciously gave me her permission to paint the photo and I decided to leave it in black and white. 
It was challenging painting the steer, it is a lot different from the horse and of course entirely different from people.  The challenging part was to know if I could actually captured the steer.  Not being a farm girl, and not being around farm animals, that is where the challenge lies. When I showed the painting to Jessica's husband Ben I needed him to give me a critique, after all he is a farmer and this was his steer.  He was very helpful and seemed to genuinely like the painting.  I then showed it to my good friend Shannon, who also is a farmer and she gave me the thumbs up.  So, with two people who know their cattle giving me good reviews, I now feel confident that I captured "The Steer".

Original Oil
15" x 30"
Gallery Wrapped
For Sale
Original photo reference by Jessica Elenbaas - Lynden, WA, USA
People's Choice Winner - 1st Place - St. Albert Painters' Guild Spring 2011 Show and Sale