How Show Cows was painted
The basic plan of the painting, the outline of some of the cows and other figures is established by using a rag to remove paint from the under painting layer. Once the design has been finalised, it is easier to fit the other elements into the painting. The group of farmers talking makes natural subject matter, since they stay long enough in one spot to to be properly sketched. Quite probably their long conversation allows for a sketch from more than one angle. The light streaming in from the right hand side gives the scene a lot of dappled light which warms the painting.