lifeblood 3

lifeblood 3 300x300mm  oil and charcoal on canvas

the idea behind calling the paintings/photos/drawings of cattle"lifeblood" is that the name will hopefully get the thoughtful viewer to look beyond the basic image of a cow... whose blood are we thinking about, the cow's?... how does the cow live in order to give up its blood and become steak? or, does it keep its life, as in Kenya, and give blood and milk in order to provide "lifeblood' for humans to survive too? The relationship between humans and cattle varies so much from society to society... ranging from pure commodity to god, from optional to essential, and all shades inbetween. So every individual connects with an image like this differently, depending on their cultural background, and suddenly it is no longer just 'a picture of a cow'.