Cows - Twilight and Flame

Medium: Acrylic on board     |     Size: 600mm x 400mm

 

This picture is called Cows.  That's because the cows were the starting point for the painting.  I had a very clear picture in my mind; red cows on a blue - green field under a deep black sky. It was going to be a sultry summer night. As you can see the final result was rather different. When I started to paint, the colours didn't look at all as they had in my imagination.  So, I had to make a few changes.

 

Now, instead of a hot summer's night I have an icy winter's evening. The fields are still blues and greens but they have a sprinkling of frost. The cows look rather ghostly - but there is one little red escapee in another field. It all looks a bit chilly. I added the houses to bring a bit of warmth into the twilight. Then I thought I'd continue that warmth into the foreground. The flaxes, rushes and toi-toi are licking like flames at the front of the picture and providing the rest of the title - Twilight and Flame.