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Number 87 by Mary Binford Miller

Number 87

This is an oil on canvas. 12 by 12 inches. This painting is at the American Legacy Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri. One of my favorite subjects is to paint cows and bison early in the morning when the light is fresh and low.
You have painted this little cow superbly - It is Beautiful! .......- though it makes me feel sad - I am not vegetarian, but I rarely eat red meat - if I do - maybe a spot of chicken or fish. In any case - what encouraged my reluctance to eat Beef - was seeing a field full of cows just like this in the middle of nowhere, west of Brisbane in Australia, no trees for miles - and cows looking just like this all crammed into a small pen - brewing under the sun - waiting for their death sentence -and then a day later to smell that stench of death again from the train carriage as I watched from the bridge as they were heading to the slaughterhouse - They sense death. I dont mean to be romantic - and melodramatic -but cows are such cute creatures too.! ;-)
1 month ago
Thanks so much for your comments, Charleen. I am the same as you about meat. I rarely, rarely eat beef as well. I have a hard time looking in the eyes of these sweet creatures knowing what their destination is. I paint them because I feel they can think and feel as like us. I just wish they could speak! At first I did not put the numbers on them. I do now because that is the only identity they have in this world.
1 month
Mary ;-))) lovely subject,wonderful concept,great painting ,the colors are stunning.5*****
See you,all the best!
1 month
You captured the lighting and the cow really nicely. Have you ever painted the cows on a cold morning when there is a mist coming off their bodies? Grew up on a farm and it's just one of those things I remember... d
1 month
This is wonderful!
1 month
Beautiful light, beautiful cow.( I am a vegetarian. I don't want to be responsible for the tag :) Really like your brush work and the fact that you've included the bright red tag is interesting. The lighting is perfect! Love it! 5*****
1 month
A perfect painting!She looks realy fluffy!
Fantastic work!
1 month
wow what a wonderful cow.Absolutely beautiful.5*****+++++I love it
1 month
Beautiful artwork Mary. Love the back lighting.
Best wishes,
Dick.
1 month
What a wonderful painting. So good details. Pia
1 month
very good oil painting.. very talented
1 month
I LOVE this portrait of the cow that you have so lovingly painted, the eyes look so sad & appealing, I also love the way you've got the light shining through the thin skin at the edge of her ears, Overall,..A magnificent work, Mary, True artistry. 10*s Tony. X
1 month
Very nice Mary.
1 month
Very very good. Professional art. Love the light, love the realness, love the seemingly light brushwork, love cows.
1 month
Mary this is a beautiful painting. You have a lovely style. I love the softness in the fur and the way you have just touched her with the highlights, especially her eye lashes and across the tops of her ears.... I can tell you spend a great deal of time looking at cows. You paint them beautifully... You background is just enough to set the whole piece off,. I think you did just a magnificent job on this one,... sincerely, Lin
1 month
Very nice work. Love the way you handle the light on the ears. So alive one could expect the cow to moo ;-)
1 month
This is a beautifully painted animal, the light and color is lovely, she is pretty with her long eyelashes.
1 month
so real! stunning!
1 month
looks so real excellent 5 ***** Steve
1 month
Beautiful oil painting, he is lovely.
1 month
very nice work I find myself relaxing when I see it
1 month
He is beautiful x
1 month
Beautiful work! Sometimes a piece immediately stands out in a crowd, this is one of those! 5***** :)
1 month
light, color, expression(!)and composition...everything fits so well....a beautiful executed example for a painterly use of oils, loose brush strokes and a perfect view what the essential is. Superb work!
1 month
Mary, Excellent painting, this really caught my eye 5***** This brought back memories of when I lived on a farm many years ago...Lenny
1 month
Beautiful and realistic......
1 month
cute..
1 month
I Love cows. Very well painted. I really like the softness of it.
1 month
Very well painted Mary, its true, cows make great pictures dont they?*****
1 month
Wonderful!!!
1 month
love the realism here. this is so well painted!! i love your choice of composition, and the red tag adds spice to it.
1 month
I too, eat meat very seldom....but this painting makes me want to be a vegetarian!! They have such sad, big brown eyes. This is a wonderful painting!!! :D
29 days
Really good painted this cow.Great colours.
29 days
This is amazing!
29 days
This is lovely!
28 days
What would we do without cows? Think about it! Very nice work.
28 days
beuatiful and gorgeous. love the colors and details. lovely brush strokes. 5*****
28 days
WOW...I love the brush strokes and color scheme on this painting.

Beautifully done!
27 days
just perfect, the fur, and the light, and his looks, I love this painting!!!
26 days
Great artwork !!!!! Amazing skills! Bravo, Mary!
25 days
he looks like he is responding after his name was called...large farm animals are amazing creatures...after living in australia and visiting the upper cumbria in england,i was even more delighted with the stateliness of these creatures....i adore sheep and goats too:)rifka
24 days
a really beautiful painting and i really like the background just enough.how do you know when to stop.
23 days
Thanks very much, Linda. I love your elephant painting as well! To answer your question about how I know when to stop...After not looking at the painting for a while, when I walk around the corner and see it sitting there, if I have a "warm fuzzy" feeling in my stomach, I know it is done. Kind of an instinctive thing.
23 days
I have drawn quite a few animals but never a cow, I really must have a go, this is simply wonderful 5*, great brush work Mary, it is so beautifully done, cheers, Paul ;0)
23 days
Beautiful painting 5*...so real, like a photo almost...well done
23 days
I love your cow...it is so real looking.
22 days
Perfection!! Mary this is masterpiece work...What a soft expression on the face (no wonder I can't eat meat!)
Detail is amazing right down to the eyelashes!! 5*****plus.
Kindest Margaret
19 days
Masterful work Mary! Your 'brush-craft', the colors with the specific light and shadow... and her fantastic sunny eyelashes that really draw you first to the eyes and then to the whole painting.
'Checked' you website: fantastic!
18 days
A wonderful painting, so atmospheric, of this gentle creature.wonderful brushwork
18 days
Great details!!!! 5***** :) :)
17 days
Bella questa opera. La mucca mi sembra giovane ma ha una bella espressione. I colori sono molto fedeli alla realtà. Un caro saluto con 5* Molena Lino
15 days
So alive, and with the most wonderfull light :)
15 days
Lovely painting, the red tag sets the whole thing off. Sometimes i try to paint a little looser but always end up putting too much detail in when it doesn't need it. I don't know when to put the brush down and say ENOUGH!
Well done, i love this painting.
14 days
Hi Mary, brilliant love your work
13 days
I love the texture and naturally the subject. Cows are my favourite!
13 days
A wonderful style which suits the subject perfectly - excellent!
11 days
Woooow, it is so cute, this is such a great composition, great lights, and I love how it looks at me :-) 5*
10 days
I give it 6 stars - just beautifull - the light and the fur is just perfekt.
10 days
Her eyelashes alone are worth that much! very good artwork.
6 days
Can't stop looking at this painting. Every stroke is painted with so much confidence! Exquisite.
3 days
It's a good painting! Wonderful subject and pefect job! Lovely!!!
3 days
This is really lovely, they have real cute faces, and I love the way that the light is coming through the earends and the number tab.
1 day
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Artist Statement
for Mary Binford Miller
I am an oil painter from the United States heartland who paints for the pure joy of painting. I paint everything from children, dancers and commissioned portraits, to bison, cows and any other kind of livestock. When I paint animals I feel a deep connection to them and want to portray that in my paintings.
When you have an opportunity please check out my website at: http://marybinfordmiller.110mb.com
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