So since I didn't start on April 1, I'm a day behind, unless I did two today I would not catch up, so I'll be posting #30 tomorrow.  I hope that makes enough sense.  Meanwhile, #29 on the 30th of April is an adorable calf peeking out from behind it's mother.

5x7  Peeking From Behind  #29/30   $99

Here is another Holstein, with the swinging tail and the tilted head I think it's showing a lot of attitude, do you?

5x7  "Attitude"  Holstein painting by Denise Rich #28/30   $99

This cute little Holstein calf is laying on the ground as sweet as can be.  I love the baby blue background and sweet baby eyes and spotted pink nose.  This calf is one I found at a local dairy, hanging out with some of it's buddies.  

5x5 "Holstein Calf Portrait"   #27/30    $99

This is number 27 of 30 paintings in 30 days, looks like if I don't do two one day I'm going to remain behind, we'll see.  Once this painting is sold I will mark it in the title on the April Painting a Day category here on the website.

I'm not sure if I like pigs because I have Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or if I like Staffordshire Bull Terriers because they remind me mildly of pigs, either way how cute are these piglets? 

5x7 "Piglets"  #26/30   $99

I know usually I paint cows, so you will notice right off, these aren't cows.  But farm animals seem to go together no matter what, and if you are just starting out collecting original art or if you already have cows, these piglets are a wonderful addition to that collection.

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This piece has that beautiful lighting that jumps at you on any painting but that really shines on a white or black subject.  I couldn't resist naming this painting "Wide Load" for obvious reasons, having painted other white cattle recently the roundness really stands out, so I thought it would be good to position her so she didn't quite fit all on the canvas.  

5x7  "Wide Load"  #25/30   $99

If this painting is sold I will update it in the April Painting a Day category.

I remember the first time I went skiing,( also near the last btw) wearing those long, cumbersome boards on my feet.  They were nearly impossible to navigate, certainly not with any grace at all.  This is something I think about when I look at the Texas Longhorn, the beauty and the grace with which they navigate life while carrying those long horns.   They do it so effortlessly I find it amazing to say the least.

5x7 "Texas Longhorns"  #24/30 original oil paintings by Denise Rich   $99

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There are a number of reasons I wanted to paint this.  One, I am fond of painting the redheads, they are usually fun.  Two I love the strong lighting on them.  Three, the mother in this piece was the favorite cow of one of my favorite cow owners, and this was possibly her last baby.  Bill was in Ramona and took me on a tour of his cattle ranch.  He introduced this redhead to me as his long time favorite.  We have since lost Bill T., and his son runs the operation, but if he were here I'm sure he would approve:

5x7  "Redheads"  #23/30    $99

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Black Calf Portrait is number 23 of 30 paintings in 30 days.  I decided to take this challenge on since we are all stuck at home if we are considered non essential.  Kind of a sad term for work, anyway this keeps me busy, and hopefully entertains you a couple minutes each day.

5x7  Black Calf Portrait   #22/30    $99

This is number 21 of 30 paintings in 30 days.  A Happy Cow during a commercial shoot in Petaluma.  I've wanted to paint something from this scene with the cows and chickens for a while, I took the original reference photo I think around 2007, it's about time don't you think?

5x7  The Hen House is Open Again    #21/30   $99

If you are interested in this piece contact me, first to claim it gets it.  [email protected] or in the studio 619-933-5935

There is a cutting training facility near where I live, and they often get some cattle to work with their dogs.  They keep them for a while, take care of them in exchange for the use in their training and then send them back.  I think these were used to people by the time I got to them to take reference as they were headed my way without hesitation.

5x7  "Headed Towards You"  #20 of 30   $99

This is number 20 of 30 paintings in 30 days.  A covid 19 entertainment effort I have taken on both for you and for me.  You get to see what I come up with each day, and I get to paint it, everyone's happy!

If you are interested in this painting let me know, first to do so gets it.  Once it is sold I will notate that in the April 30 Paintings category.

So a friend called today and said, 'What are you doing?"  I said "What do you think I'm doing"  The correct answer was given of course, "Let

me guess, painting a cow?"

5x7  Red and White, Black and White   #19 of 30     $99

What charming faces!  Cows make wonderful subjects for paintings, just look at these two.  It's interesting to me that the Holsteins come in Black and White, or Red and White.  I most commonly see the Black and White so it is a treat for me to get to paint the red, together is even better.

I try and rotate the colors/breeds but I was drawn to this calf, youngster not a baby but not full grown either.  I love the strong lighting on

him so here he is:

5x7  White Calf  #18 of 30 original oil paintings in 30 days by Denise Rich   $99

I had an oops with yesterdays painting,  almost as soon as I posted it I was contacted by a collector who wished to purchase it with a check, but by the time I'd removed the buy it now link on the website someone else had used it to buy the painting also but it had already been sold by then. Plus I don't think when I remove the buy button it will remove it from a page that is already open.  So from this painting forward to prevent any confusion I'm not going to have a button on the painting page, just contact me with your intent to purchase and as usual the first person to claim it gets it.

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This is an image I have wanted to paint for a while, I took the original reference photo in Paso Robles when I was at an art show.  I love doing art shows in cow country, double bonus! 

5x7 "Charolais"  #17/30  $99

I love the shadows, and the beautiful grasses that were growing there at the time.  The Charolais is a beautiful animal as well, and their eyes really stand out.  One of the things this 30 paintings in 30 days project has done is allow me to paint a lot of images I have wanted to but one can only do a much smaller number if they are all larger, small daily paintings give me the ability to do more of them, and I have hundreds that I have taken over the past decade plus.  I hope you are somewhat entertained during this current lock down and will continue to view my daily works.

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If you have ever been in an area of country with rolling hills after a heavy rain spring, the wildflower bloom is spectacular and very colorful with waves of blue, orange and yellow.  This is the look I was referencing here in this painting of three Angus:

5x7 Just the Three of Us Angus     #17/30   $99

Getting some color into this one by my memories of waves of wildflowers.  This is not the background these three have in the original reference photo, I only liked them but with the magic of oil painting I put in the background that I wanted, with plenty of color.  

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I've been enjoying this project, I hope you have also. Number 15 is this cute Hereford calf laying in the grass:

5x5 Hereford Baby Laying   #15/30 original oil paintings  $99

One of the best things about painting small is the ability to experiment without having to cover a large area. When painting larger I tend to do what's safe rather than branch out too much. In addition to the fact that the brush work is more expressive.

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This scene made me think of how serious and straight on the Angus in the middle of the painting is, like it takes getting it's picture taken seriously, and in comes a photo bomb Angus from the left!

5x7 "Photo Bomb Angus"  #14/30 original oil paintings by Denise Rich  $99

The reference photo for these two was taken by me in Ramona, California, on a ranch where a lot of my reference photos of Angus come from.  The scenery there is wide open and beautiful, and this was a great time of the year, probably spring.  

My 30 paintings in 30 days is about half way through, I've found I love the panels, and I bought some new tiny brushes that work so well on them I am enjoying doing these daily paintings.  I hope you are entertained during lock down by my daily efforts!   If this painting is still available there will be a buy it button in the April Painting a Day category here on the website.  Or you can contact me.

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Yes, it's a pig, not a cow.  I know I did paint sheep on Easter Sunday, and although most of what I paint is cows I can paint other things, and if I have a good reference photo I've taken to work from (this one I took in El Centro) I might choose to paint it.  This would be a great time to collect a few pieces to hang together, and a pig is a good addition in my opinion.

5x7 "Pig" #13/30  original oils by Denise Rich $99

A very wise art teacher I had, my first one around 30 years ago, said if you can see you can paint anything.  Painting realism is about seeing.  I agree with her.  Although my focus as an artist is cows I do paint other subjects, both on a custom painting basis and occasionally just because I feel like it.  This one is just because I felt like it, I love pigs and this one is cute I hope you enjoy it!

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Some of the Jersey cattle don't have the black masks like these two, but I think they add character.  I'm not sure what the difference is, if one is better than the other, but I see a lot of both.

5x7 "Jersey Milk Maids"  #12/30  original oil paintings by Denise Rich  $99

These two were acting as surrogate mothers, nursing calves that for one reason or another did not have a mother. I am drawn to their curiosity, and sweet faces.  The shy one in the back is keeping a safe distance!

I hope you and your family are well during the covid-19 situation, and I thought it would be a perfect time for me to take on the 30 day painting a day challenge. And it is a challenge!  Each piece seems to teach me something though, and finishing a painting in one sitting means you do have to know what you are doing, so I push myself a little on each one.

I'm making them affordable so if you have thought about starting or adding to a collection, this historic moment in time is the time to do it if you see one you love.  This piece is available to purchase in the April Painting a Day category here on my website, or you can email me.

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Do you remember Dolly, the sheep that was cloned several years back?  It's all I kept thinking of while working on this painting, that and a friend who was holy terror as a youngster lol.  This painting is for all of the mother's out there who are currently at home with their young children, who are not going to school every day, but instead hanging out with you.   I'm sure you can relate.

5x7 "Mischievous"  Lamb and Mother original oil by Denise Rich   $99

I realize I am a day behind, this being the 12th of April and I'm on #11, that is because I didn't do one on April 1, I have been promising to catch up, and I will, but one things for sure, I'm not missing a day and this was just finished in my studio.  This Easter Sunday is one for the history books, whether you are a believer or not we are all experiencing something that has never happened, and which will be remembered.

This painting for me represents all of that, rolled into April 12, 2020.

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Getting all of the swirly fur and patched colors in this calf was the challenge here, and for a one sitting painting I believe it was successful, I am very happy with how it turned out.  I hope you are too.

5x7 #10/30  "Baby Longhorn" original oil by Denise Rich  $99

The calves really pull at the heart strings, and this Longhorn is no exception!  He was standing with his mama who was busy grazing but I wanted to focus on him.  You can see the little bud beginnings of horns, so if you know them you can probably figure out the age of this youngster, I think pretty young.

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This is one of the Happy Cows I photographed during an ad spot shoot in Petaluma California.  I absolutely love that scenery, but the black

and white of a Holstein is a beautiful contrast with it. 

5x7 "Happy Cow"  #9/30  original oil paintings by Denise Rich   $99 

I was thinking that if you acquire one of these 30 paintings in 30 days you have a piece of history.  The reason I'm doing it, and I have heard about it but never done it, is because right now we are all at home and I view it as entertainment, both for me and for you.  With all art show gatherings cancelled, and where my studio is located on Main St in El Cajon the weekly summer classic car shows are cancelled, as are the weekly free concerts at the Promenade, his is a moment in history that has never happened before, and these works are a piece of that history.

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This is number 8 of 30 paintings in 30 days.  If you drive out past Ramona where they raise the camels, this is the scene.  If you are not from around here, yes, there is a camel farm, or ranch, just outside Ramona, California.  I watched an episode on the Food Network of the guy that eats weird food, and he paid them a visit in fact, and drank Camel milk.

5x7  "Windmill and Hereford"  #8 of 30

This is an iconic section of the highway for me, and I loved the contrast of the blue on the shadowed barn and the red Hereford cow.

A little departure from my usual closer up cow paintings, but enjoyable to look at.  I hope you enjoy it too!

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I would love to see this in a huge painting, I think it would be a dynamic simple statement, the majestic horns and the sky. 

5x7 "Under the Texas Sky"  Texas Longhorn painting #7 of 30  $99

I have a number of images chosen as potential subjects for this 30 paintings in 30 days project, and I go through them choosing which ones to do.  Most of them, this one included, are things I have wanted to paint for a while, but it takes a long time to get around to painting them all large, sprinkled in with custom works, it could take a really long time. Enter the wonder of a daily painting, finished in one sitting while still leaving daylight available for other projects.  

In 7 days it has already taught me things that I, as a professional artist for many years, did not know.  This Longhorn gal is one that I can see huge, above a fireplace.  In addition to this piece being available it is also available to commission for that purpose, just sayin.

I'm happy to be able to see it painted small, as an example.

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I really have wanted to paint this one for a while, I always enjoy the different colors, and this Red Angus looks like it has a Black shadow! 

7x5 #6/30 original oil paintings by Denise Rich "Red and Black"  

I have some gesso boards for artists, the Happy Cows painting (#2) was done on this same type of board, but I found it a challenge to get the  paint to stick, not enough 'tooth' on it.  So yesterday and today I used the same type of gesso board, only I had put an additional coat of gesso on it, and sanded that down some, resulting in a smooth board that the paint flowed on beautifully!  I also got a couple of new small brushes just for these 30 small daily paintings. 

It seems there are a couple of Angus camps, a Red one and a Black one, but often ranchers have both, like where I found these two.  I like the combination.

If you are new to my 30 paintings in 30 days covid 19 entertainment project, and would like to receive a daily email with the daily painting please let me know, I will add you to the list.  :)

Today's painting is a Texas Longhorn.  I love the attitude of this guy, and have wanted to paint it for a while. 

5x7 Texas Longhorn  #5/30 original oil by Denise Rich    $99

The attitude always gets me!  As a side point, this angle he held his head at is one of the best for getting those loooong horns into the piece on this size canvas.  I placed him in a basic background to enhance but not detract from the subject.  

Finding subjects can be a challenge, and this one I found on a breeders ranch in Temecula, California, along with several other Texas Longhorns that I photographed for reference.  

As number 5 of my 30 paintings in 30 days, there are 25 more to go, so if you are interested in receiving a daily email containing the daily painting be sure and let me know, I did finally get instructions on how to do that so you have to ask to be added to that list.

Well for one thing, I thought I could make a newsletter list with only those I choose on it, so I asked my newsletter subscribers and anyone else on social media who would like a daily email to let me know, now I find I do not apparently have that particular capability, so I hope everyone who has subscribed will not mind receiving it. 

This is painting number 4:

5x5 Black Angus by Denise Rich   #4/30 in painting a day challenge 

This little guy was fun to paint, he may or may not be full Angus I am not sure how to tell, but he is basically black, and looks masculine to me so I'm calling it a male.  

I found him on a ranch in Ramona, California.  He was with a mixed herd, run by a well known local who was nice enough to drive me through his cattle to get reference photos.  

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So today's painting (still not catching up, still will) is an adorable calf with it's mother, this time some brighter colors.  

5x5  Hereford Mom and Calf original oil by Denise Rich 3/30.  

This small work had similar challenges to overcome as yesterdays, I just don't have a lot of tiny brushes for tiny details.  I may have to move to a slightly larger substrate for my 30 once those I do have become frayed.  :)  That's why it is called a 30 day challenge, it's always going to be something.  Painting is like that though, first off it's what image to paint, then it's a series of solving problems to get it right.

This cow and calf were found living in Arizona on a ranch called Las Vegas Ranch, what's not to love about that name?  I love cow/calf combinations as a subject, as I think of it one of these would make an excellent mother's day gift.  One year down......

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So this is day 3 technically, but like I said, I'll catch up!  For now I'm still one day behind, because here is #2 of my 30 paintings in 30 days: 

5x7 "Happy Cows on a Hill"  2/30 original oil painting by Denise Rich (Holsteins)

About this painting, several years ago I was invited to photograph the actual California Happy Cows during their ad spot filming in Petaluma, California.  This is from the images I took on that trip.  

The challenges I met doing this piece revolved mostly around size, it's a small work with a lot of information, so I needed a small brush, I don't usually work so small and went through at least three or four to finally come up with something that worked.  This is also on an artists panel which is smooth so my regular hog bristle brushes weren't ideal for a piece finished in one sitting, or major brush streaks would be showing.  In these small pieces I'm doing one of the things you will notice, and it's intentional, is more raised paint areas showing than I usually have, I consider that a success.  

FYI, Day 1 painting of 30 is already sold.  

If you are newly reading about this and would like to be receiving emails with the painting of the day please be sure and let me know, I will begin sending them only to those who have requested so I don't fill up anyone else's mailbox, regular newsletters will still be received by anyone on the list and those come out maybe once a month.

Unless you are an essential worker, you are stuck at home, as I am.  (Or in my case, I'm in the studio alone) I have been reading for years about other artists doing a "painting a day" or a "30 day challenge", but until now have not jumped in.  In view of the current situation, I thought, if I'm locked down I might as well make the best of it, what better time than now to play this game?

5x5 Hereford Calf oil on canvas by Denise Rich Day 1/30

So here it is, my first piece, from day 1, which was actually yesterday, and I have to finish another one today.  Something made me pause about the fact that yesterday was April Fools Day, so I held my plans up for one day, today I'll be releasing another piece for day 2, be sure to join my mailing list, and if you would like to receive a daily email with the painting of the day, send me a message to [email protected] and I will be sure and add you, only those who request it will receive a daily email with the daily painting.

As for subject matter, I'm not quite sure.  I think the most fun would be if I make this your chance to own one of my original cow paintings, and the daily paintings will be priced reasonably.  A collection of small works makes a beautiful display, as well as think early shopping for the holidays.

Now off to create today's painting! (Hint, I think it's going to be Happy Cows)