A Series of My FARM Animal Artwork
This is a piece I created two years ago for my Mam for Mother's Day. Since she grew up in Co. Mayo in the west of Ireland, she sometimes says that fields of cows remind her of her home. Therefore, I thought that a pencil drawing of a cow and her calf would be perfect as a gift. I used Derwent graphite pencils ranging from 2B to 8B.
Last year I began experimenting more with my Faber Castell Polychromo colouring pencils. Inspired by my decision to go vegan, I started drawing more animals apart from the usual cats and dogs.
This piece, entitled "Speciesism", portrays a morphed image of a German Shepherd-type dog, and a calf. It was my imaginary composition for my Leaving Certificate art practical workbook, which was based on the concept of veganism. I wanted to show how similar all animals are, despite the biases we have against those typically used for consumption and profit, such as cows, chickens, sheep and pigs. My aim was not to come across as "pushy", and to do put forward my opinions without using graphic shock tactics. On first viewing this A3 oil-pastel artwork, many people didn't notice that there were two animals before I pointed it out. This further proved the point I was trying to make with my project. All animals have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and are capable of feeling emotions - feeling love, and being loved.
