I just finished this handsome longhorn bull, watching him as I did, gazing out to all the ladies in his care. I found him and his herd in the Plains, VA, just outside of Warrenton, which is southwest of D.C. One day, I discovered these bovine while taking a little longer drive to the barn to where I had my horses boarded. What a delightful surprise. I had met the owner, who told me I was welcome to go inside the pasture anytime, but to please close the gate behind me. There were about 45 head. The owner said he just kept them around to look at them, because they made everything look so peaceful.
It was so interesting to watch this herd in all the 4 seasons that I was privileged to be a part of. When I started painting this guy, I wanted to let the viewer know how cold and stark it was that day. I added a little maroon to the sky with the hint of blue and gray, and of course, titanium white, all to add a little contrast to the snow of white and a little burnt umber and gray. The hay he was dining on was very stiff and thick looking, which I achieved with a palette knife. When I thought I was finished with him, I stepped back and lo and behold, I had gotten the tree line off on the right hand side of the painting.
I then proceeded to paint the sky lower to block out the tree tops and lower the horizon. It is something how you can go along with a painting, and suddenly become aware of something that you just simply overlooked that turned out to be glaring. Anyway, I think I am quite pleased with how this painting turned out.