Cow Paintings – Melanie Stokes Art

April 30, 2022August 21, 2023

A Sacred Moment

I sat on the ground, maybe twenty feet away, and observed the spell-binding sacred moment of birth.

The labor, the exhaustion, the slow delivery process, the maternal instincts for cleanup and greeting her offspring, the bonding . . . all consumed my camera’s attention for over two hours. The other cows grazed silently nearby, as in a prayer vigil for the completion of the task.

This moment, this precious moment, was captured as the Mother Angus was successful in nudging the new life to stand on its own four feet. The cord was detached. Air was expanding the lungs of the little one. Thin legs were shaky, but strong. Initiation to the herd followed after this.

The Mother will continue her role of guiding and providing, until the young one is ready for independence. I’ll keep watching to determine how she knows when it is time.

With humans, the cords may be detached, but the heart strings remain intact for years and miles. And, we are glad to be able to keep in touch with our children through technology. Call your Mama, today.

October 9, 2021October 9, 2021

More Cows!

melaniestokesart.com — She’s Got That Look 20×20 oil $425

Friends who know me know that with this move to Texas, I have become acquainted with cows for the first time. I paint cows because I watch them daily on our central Texas property. The sunlight on their hides create planes of color that interest me. They parade by several times a day, based on their whims of grazing. These “girls” have been together for about a year and seem to have a hierarchy of their own personalities. (Well, they do in my imaginative mind, anyway.)

The one with “the look,”is most easily spooked by us when we walk in the pasture. She is always the first one to pop her head up from grazing. She gives me that spooky look, like she doesn’t trust me, and it is a reciprocal feeling. I am spooked by getting too close to her. We call her “Spooky.”

We lease the land to a young man who has all the responsibility of the ownership of the six cows. We get the benefits of having them entertain us as we share their space… and step over their fertilizer. (!)

These paintings were an experiment in complementary colors. I began with Venetian Red and used Burnt Sienna and Black to create the various red shades. Ivory Black (or maybe some Mars Black, depending on which one I picked up) and Yellow Ochre gave the greens for the complementary background. Both Titanium and Warm White were used. And maybe you can spot a bit of Radiant Red (pink) in a few spots. All the mixing and smudging and wiping made it fun.

As I watch cows move slowly through each day, I wonder if they are bored. I wonder if they wish the boundaries would take them further. I wonder if they plan where they are going to sleep each night. I know. I wonder too much and need to get out more! But, that’s the Story Behind the Cow Paintings.

June 30, 2020August 21, 2023

Can you tell I used the same color palette?

Three new paintings – 20×20 oil – inspired by the land on which we live.

The black and white cow, Muncher, entertains us when she comes by to be hand fed in the evenings. (If you know me very well, you know that it is not my hand that feeds her!) Nevertheless, I enjoy her personality, complete with her fancy earrings!

Bovine Beauty or Do These Earrings Make Me Look Fat?
SOLD

The white cow and her baby have been moved to another pasture. But we have watched the calf grow from hours after she was born, as we watched the mother care for and protect her offspring.

And the third piece, the landscape, was painted with the same palette of colors. In my mind, it was the first painting, as the pink sky on that Pink Morning is what inspired all three in this series. Pink color to tie the three together – the land and the cows – my surroundings. (And they could be your surroundings, if you want to hang them on your wall, as a group or not.)