Paintings in progress and studio notes from fine artist Denise Rich, specializing in cow paintings and commissions from client photographs.

It's the expressions I love the most when it comes to cows.  When among them I'm searching for the special ones with a certain sparkle or bit of curiosity, a certain 'look'. 

But before I can search for that special cow in a herd, I have to find the herd.  Sometimes

this takes a little extra effort.

This Black Baldy cow is a perfect example of extra effort paying off.  A few years back I was getting frustrated that all of the beef cattle I could find were on the other side of a fence on a busy highway.

More often than not when I would get out of the car and walk close enough to get a shot they would spook and run away.  Not too much demand for paintings of cattle rear ends!

I knew where the cows were, out in the back country areas like Ramona and Julian, so I ran an ad in the local paper:

"Local artist that paints cows needs models to photograph for future paintings.  If you have cows and would not mind letting me take photos of them please contact me at ......"

Three people contacted me, two of them I was able to meet with and photograph their cows and this is one of several paintings I've done as a result, there are still more to come.  This is a show cow, she was a wonderful subject, totally has 'the look', and taking out that ad ended up solving my dilema.

"Buddy"  6"x12"

It's been all cows all of the time lately, in fact my daughter recently said it's 'creepy' sleeping in the living room with all of the cow eyes staring at you, and indeed with a quick check there are currently no less than twelve pairs of bovine orbs lurking on my living room walls. 

Of course when one goes to a new home there is always another right behind to take it's place.  I never tire of painting them, each a different and unique moment and place in time, still I also enjoy the breaks, sometimes from commissions, sometimes because I have a photo of my own that's not a cow but just needs to be painted.  Yes, my family doesn't know it but sometimes I actually take pictures of other things!

This Thanksgiving holiday at my Brother and Sister in law's house I managed to capture their beloved dog (we all call him "The Good Son" sorry Matt!) Buddy.  He's a sweet, gentle dog and I thought this captured his nature.

Here they are, all together, ready to go into the windows at Alexander Salazar Fine Art at

7th and Broadway, downtown San Diego.  A bull, a calf and a cow, all three Holsteins, each seven feet high and six feet wide.

I rented a U-Haul van big enough to move a two bedroom apartment in order to get these giants downtown.

We tied them down Gulliver style to the tie bars on the walls of the van.

The transport was perfect, and they arrived safely in time to be the featured art at the opening of Alexander's new Auction House the night before they were moved to the windows of the gallery.

The paintings are untitled,  I've given permission for the titles to be given by the purchasers

of the individual pieces.  The Bull is sold, the Cow and the Calf are currently available through my studio.

Contact me directly about these pieces.

I sketched the guide lines using a grid, my reference photo was six inches

by seven inches, the grid lines were drawn in vine charcoal in one foot incremets on the canvas,

so it was much easier to break down the drawing into 12"x12" squares.

I started out establishing my darks.

Gradually got basic values and blocked in color.  I knew the background would be

red as I love how the black and white Holstein's look against it.

It isn't just red out of a tube though, it's a mix of cad red, ultramarine blue and burnt umber,

various amounts as needed to give dimension and not just a flat even red.

More layers of paint are added, and my Mom gets up close and personal.

The photo above and below show how much difference the lighting makes in the final photo of a painting.  Neither is actually exactly as the actual painting, one is too cool, the other too warm.

No photo ever shows the paintings off sufficiently, but natural light is the closest.

I was most anxious to detail that wonderful white hair, or is it fur? 

The red is rich now, and the body is taking shape.  Notice the tiny looking reference photo

there at the bottom !

The above photo might look finished, but if you compare it with the photo below you'll notice

more striking highlights in the whites, the hair on his back among other things, photo below is the finished piece.