HOLY COWS 

My most recent series of paintings are primarily based on my travels in India. The subject of cows is not a new one. In 1995, a trip through South America inspired my interest in both cows and chickens. Of course this initial interest came quite naturally, having grown up on a farm in rural Alberta, Canada.

The cows and landscape of South America were quite unique, particularly through remote areas of the Amazon. However when I arrived in India, the whole scene made a remarkable impression on me. The colours, smells and heat were all overwhelming. The extremes of beauty and decay were a constant reminder of the cycle of life.

These cows are lovely because they are at harmony in the middle of chaos. Whether they are sitting in the middle of hell traffic in Delhi, or resting by the holy river of Varanasi, they remain serene and beautiful.

The first of this series began in Dharamsala, where I started to work with a medium used by the local artists of Buddhist Tunka painting. I found the pigment to be very strong which suited the direction I wanted to take. The vivid colours possessed the power to evoke the sensations I wished to capture; enabling me to create an energy or life to the form within its surrounding. Of course these cows were often plucked out of their real environment and placed into a scene closer to my own memories of life on the farm.