Brande Arno Art

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Gessoboard $ 95.  For Purchase The inspiration for this painting comes from the Daily Paintwork's cow challenge.  I went to Morgue File and got a wonderful photo reference to work from.   I hoped to capture the heifer's muscles and still keep the brushwork fluid.  But this painting needed more, it needed richer browns than I could mix with my favorite tube brown.   So I mixed my own from a red, blue and yellow.    

"Post Road Cow" 5 x 5 inches, Oil on Gessoboard $ 60.  Buy on Etsy The photo source is one that I snapped while participating in a plein air painting competition in Geneva,  NY.  Since I discovered them in 2012, the herd and I spend at least three hours together if not all day as I try to create a plein air painting featuring them.  How do I do that?  Well memory and my experience learning that most animals will repeat their poses given enough time.   Having their babies grazing with them makes the attraction all the more harder to resist.  This year, however, they were way too far back in the field for me to paint plein air.  I painted a few barn scenes and then returned only to find them back there every time, so I resorted to taking pictures for future studio work.  

"Snacks and Spots" 5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board Another of my favorite subjects to paint.  The photo reference was completely a side view and for a challenge, I moved her head a bit to the side.  I've observed these ladies enough to give it a try.

Time Out, 4 x 4 inches, oil on panel Click to Bid Have I shared that I love cows? Happy childhood memories visiting a dairy farm of a relative.  My heart for all animals goes back as far as I can remember.   Decided to paint this cow in a Spring landscape.  Rebelling Winter.  Maybe I'll set up my Christmas lights and decorations to help me feel better about it.

Gold Grazer, 5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board  Sold - Thank you This was painted today from photo's I took last fall.  Not that I'm rushing seasons, but it was hot outside today.  Not that I'm complaining, BUT I had to refill the dogie water dish twice. Not that I want to be a cry -baby, BUT I had to water my raspberry patch. Ever go to a place to eat, only to find out they don't take credit cards, not even a local check?  Wiped out my wallet.  "We have an ATM"  Oh, that's nice BUT I don't have a debit card.  I'm so careful with my starving artist's income, that I purposely don't have a pin number on my credit card.  So even though this ATM was all shiny and enticing, It would just reject me.   On the positive side, my granddaughter is gracing me with a visit.  On the negative side, she was with me at the restaurant.   Oh did I mention she is 13?  Wow, how embarrassing can life be.  I'm just glad I'm not her mot...

"Cow Bossie" Sold 6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board This is from a photo I snapped on the way back from an errand a few days ago.  The cow in this painting was, in real life, standing behind a few bovine ladies that were lounging.  I tried to include one of them when I started this piece, but found I had to scrape that attempt away.     Scraping away hours of work never gets easier and I should have learned by now to scrape sooner instead of later.   I'm going to try my hand at painting a whimsical purple Cheetah for my granddaughter's 13th birthday. 

Browsing Heifer 5 x 5 inches, Oil on Board I had a wonderful gift for about 6 summers in my childhood.  I grew up in the city, but was off to a family member's dairy farm for two weeks each of these summers.  I loved every minute and if I didn't miss my family back home, I probably would never have left. The work was not work to me.  My cousin, Sue sure could cook and made everything  from scratch.   Milk fresh from the cows made butter and whipped cream.  Garden veggies and freshly washed clothes hanging on the clothesline.  No one, including myself can make a pie like she did back then.  Sue also showed me how to make 7 minute frosting.   I LOVED going to grange, because those farm wives really could cook and of course make the best chocolate cakes. These memories are what inspire me to paint cows.  I love their eyes, it does not take much to please them and they do a great job mowin...

Stormy Skies Ahead 8 x 8 inches, Oil on Board, $150. I have very good childhood memories on a dairy farm.  An extended family member married a dairy farmer and I was invited to spend a few weeks over summer vacation on the farm.  I loved it!  It did take about an hour for my nose to get use to the pungent smell of the barn. I didn't know it then, but I was working for my keep.  I helped with milking, bailing hay and barn chores.  I didn't think of it as work, I had a blast.  I knew we were taking care of the cows that had the most beautiful eyes. My cousin Sue, sure could cook.  Everything was made from scratch; pies, cakes with 7 minute frosting, biscuits, cookies and bread.  Notice, I'm listing the sweets that she made.  I helped her in the kitchen and loved every minute of that also.  Sue and George, don't know the impact they had on my life letting me visit for the 5 summers that I did.  They were childless duri...