I really do feel like the luckiest person on the planet on any day I get to spend with animals. It doesn’t seem to make any difference what kind of animals, I just really get in the zone, sort of euphoric or zen moment. Actually, I like to compare it to a clairvoyant moment. I forget about everything else when I am with animals. But, I wanted to share with you a time that Jerry and I got to spend a whole day with Brahmans, at two different ranches. I don’t paint them nearly enough. Let’s face it, they really do look like they have parts of many different animals.
For example, look at their very long ears, and the humps on their backs. I love the folds in their skins and the different shades of gray, borrowing on black and of course red, as well. They are such docile bovine being very intelligent, curious, as well as shy. The do live longer than many other breeds of cattle having calves at age 15 and older. They are highly resistant to insects due to their very thick hides. In walking around them, except for the bulls, they are friendly. One ranch we visited gave us an ATV to tool around the pastures.
I also had an image on the cover of the New Mexico Stockman a few years ago. I painted a bull (on the left) and a cow (on the right). They seemed perfect for each other. The painting is called That’s Amore. This writing has inspired me to paint more brahmans. I’ll let you know what I have settled on in a few weeks.