How now brown cow

Ever since I painted some cows in Beaminster, Dorset, I have been itching to do another, so when a friend gave me a photo of a field of brown and white cows (the breed is Hereford I think, but I'm no expert) I couldn't resist the urge any longer. Here follows the process of painting that picture. Out of a field showing five cows I opted to close in on one pair – a cow and her calf. It also seems quite apt since we are now in the midst of spring, with life burgeoning in the countryside once more!

So here is how the painting went:

And the final version:

Brown cow and calf (30x40cm) by Karen Davies

Still on the subject of animals, but a bit closer to home, last week we introduced a puppy into our home. Phoebe, a nine week old poodle, has caused quite a stir with her sheer cuteness, and much to my relief, is sleeping through the night already. Many years ago, a friend commissioned a portrait of her toy poodle, Pouchi. I never imagined that one day I would own a poodle myself one day, and when she has grown a bit I am sure I will paint her picture too. We previously owned two rescue dogs, Charlie and Pebbles, who were great subject material for many paintings. Beloved pets often turn out to be inspiration for their artist owners – Lucian Freud and his whippets and David Hockney and his dachshunds, spring to mind. In fact, there is even a book of paintings and drawings just of Hockney's dogs, titled David Hockney's Dog Days. It's on my wish list of art books, that's for sure.

Here's the newest member of the household, Phoebe:

And here is the portrait of Pouchi the toy poodle:

I look forward to Phoebe dragging me out for some walks in the lovely Cookham countryside.