dready art ‘honey coloured grass’ – 36×13 – original commission on canvas.
there was a discussion about whether the cow in this dready should be a long horn ’cause, ya know, the story’s about texas …
although the longhorn is part of the texan iconography, the hereford, the short horn and then the angus and then the santa gertrudis are also part of its cattle history – and besides, I think a black white-face is much cuter than a longhorn …
the longhorn, a left over from spanish conquest of the americas, although hardy wasn’t a great meat animal; sinewy and tough, and so to meet the growing demands of the expanding cities of the growing united states, for beef, herefords and other british shorthorns cattle became the go to cross breeds, so much so that the longhorn almost went extinct …
but that’s all pretty boring stuff and so I go back to the fact that I just thought the black white-face was cuter poking his head round the corner …
it looks like trouble’s about to start, doesn’t it … like trouble’s waiting … even the dog’s expectant … there’s a jack rabbit scampering off in the background and the cow’s like a curious bystander chewing its cud; the woman is riding in from the side, the guy on the horse is reaching back for his rifle …
what is it that they see?
suss!