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Best known for her bovine renditions, with unique compositions and contemporary views, Denise has combined her love of animals and art in oil for the past 20 years.
Denise's focus for the past several years has been cows because "Cows make me smile. I seriously can't look at one and hold back a smile. I don't just see an animal, I see a personality, and that is what I am working to present in my paintings of cows." In 2006 Denise received a commission from the California Milk Advisory Board to paint their famous Happy Cows of the Real California Milk campaign. This led to becoming "The Official Happy Cow Artist", as seen on their website.
Her creative process begins with field work, taking reference photos. Cows being a favorite subject means "field work" can be taken literally, and involves careful stepping!
With a signature "painterly realism" style Denise breathes life
into her subjects, often bringing viewer comments of how "you could just reach out and touch them" and "I expect them to mooo".
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This Month
Month Archive
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Thursday, July 27
Another Holstein Painting, "Do these spots make me look fat?
by
therichartist
on Thu 27 Jul 2006 09:44 PM PDT
 I've been there, looking back into the mirror or asking my husband, "do these jeans make me look fat?. Here is a bovine butt, asking the same question of her spots, as she looks back towards you with sincere wonder, thinking that all the while she might look petite! 11 by 14, oil on stretched linen This original is available click here for more information. Wednesday, July 12
Texas Longhorn Calf Portrait in oil by Denise Rich
by
therichartist
on Wed 12 Jul 2006 09:31 AM PDT
I have taken a number of Texas Longhorn reference photos that I will be painting from. I can't resist the eyes and how cute the little tiny horns are.
Below are the first three progress photos of the painting, and the larger fourth third image is of the painting completed.    The completed painting below: 12 by 12 inches on stretched canvas.  This painting is sold. Wednesday, July 5
Commission for the American Jersey Association, 2006
by
therichartist
on Wed 05 Jul 2006 08:25 AM PDT
I will be starting a painting commissioned by the American Jersey Association soon, so getting great photos of Jersey's has been high on my list for a while, but was still on my list and I was running out of time!
I've recently returned from a trip to Northern California where I had been photographing the Happy Cows for the California Milk Advisory Board's commissioned paintings for the Real California Cheese campaign. Well, the scenery was just beautiful there, and as luck would have it, on the way to the shoot one day a Holstein Dairy beside the main road caught my eye, (cows always catch my eye). The unpaved crossroad appeard to be leading into a scenic valley. The car turned of it's own will down the road, slowly past the Holsteins, and soon revealed the most picturesque Oak tree I could imagine. I got out of the car to take a photo or ten, then drove on to explore this little valley some more.  As I continued on, my excitement grew, did my eyes deceive
me? Could that be a herd of Jersey cows, in a field, in a
beautiful valley surrounded by classic rolling hills with oak
trees? I drove slower, as if caution would increase the
chances that my distance vision was correct. What a thrill to find as I closed in that I had to slow down even more
to avoid plowing into some Jersey cows in the road, and many more in
the adjacent field grazing happily! The sun was setting quickly, but not before I had the opportunity to meet the owner, and make arrangements to return in the morning to take well over 300 photos. And who was there to help me, but my faithful assistants, shown here being greeted by the girls! I will be posting more updates on the Jersey Commissioned painting, in addition to works in progress as time goes on. Monday, July 3
Cowboy boy, little roper commissioned painting with progress photos.
by
therichartist
on Mon 03 Jul 2006 07:54 PM PDT
I have painted this little wrangler before, in another cute pose. I mentioned that there were two or three more reference photos that would make excellent paintings, and have been commissioned to paint one of them for a collector.
Below are two IN Progress pictures, the second picture it is nearly finished, but he is missing a rope and some detail, and the larger one is the finished painting.    The original, a commissioned work, is sold. Available in print here. Sunday, July 2
Cow painting commissioned for 2006, Mother cow and calf photos.
by
therichartist
on Sun 02 Jul 2006 07:48 PM PDT
One of my most popular paintings is one I had titled 'The Miracle of Milk'. I am frequently asked if that painting is still available, but as it is not, this painting has been commissioned by a collector from one of my vault of reference photos I have taken. She really wanted an adorable scene of a Mother cow and her calf. As I frequent the dairy and take hundreds of reference photos in a single session, I had only to choose one, and if she approves of it, this will be hers. (Collectors tip: This is the best way to get the cow paintings you want )
I'm actually tempted to keep this one myself! Work in progress, photo 1: Work in progress, photo 2   Below is the finished painting.  This original oil painting, a commissioned work from my reference photo, is sold. It is available in print here. Saturday, July 1
Commissioned cow painting in Progress: Vicky
by
therichartist
on Sat 01 Jul 2006 07:37 PM PDT
A favorite collector of mine has commissioned me to do a painting of her favorite cow, Vicky. If you go back far enough in the archives you will see a portrait of Vicky that I did many months ago. Here she is again being immortalized in oil, on a nice large 16 by 20 inch canvas.
This is the first work in progress photo: Second work in progress photo   |
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