The Clifton Hills Terrace Home painting is the third in the series of paintings of the Charolais cow "Cincy Freedom." She escaped from a meat packing plant on February 14th, 2001 and roamed for two weeks in the woods around the plant. She was captured and now lives on the Farm Sanctuary. The director of the sanctuary reported that even after almost two years she is still skittish around humans.
The cow walked through the grounds of the home in the painting on her way to the major city park where she lived for two weeks. It is hard to believe that she climbed up to the top of this hill only to have to go down again, cross a busy street and find her way into the border woods of Mount Storm Park.
Can you imagine her resting a bit or even spending the night on top of Clifton Hills contemplating her next move?
" When I heard you were giving a picture of the Clifton cow in our yard to Dad for Christmas, I thought it was a little bazaar, but now I realize that it is art that happens to involve our family."
Tom replied: Thank you for the perfect experience. Without you painting is a somewhat lopsided event.
The painting is taking on a story line as if it was a one frame movie. Just imagine what is going on. All the elements are mixed together. Just deciding how they all fit together would take quite a thought. Even the fence in the lower right foreground needs to be explained. Is it like the fence "Freedom" jumped to escape? And the children, are they vestiges of a summer day?
Deep in to painting children after finishing the left hand side background. A little know device called a Claire-Vue was used in laying out the small background buildings and children. Looking through a split mirror you can flesh out a image that is pasted above the canvas.
The article about the Clifton Endowment Fund in the Chronicle looks like a road towards making the old Clifton school a historical society building . Contributions would make a great Christmas gift.
Slowly but surely the painting will be addressed until finished.
