"cattle" is a mixed media piece that makes my own creative process very literal, in the amazing way that mixed media can.

"cattle" began as a small study of a detail from ancient Greek vase painting, done last year. The study looked like this:

And you can see a rendition of the original red figure vase painting (done by Euphronios, ca 510 BC) here. Unfortunately the photos of the original vase have not been released for viewing on the internet.

Anyway! I did a scan of my own small painting of an ancient Greek vase painting, then dropped the color out. I printed it out on acid-free cardstock, and collaged it onto a piece of gesso-primed plywood. I sealed the print with more acrylic medium and then worked the entire thing over with oil.

Why is this complex mixed media process a lot like my creative process?

I study ancient Greek culture to get perspective on now. It’s a way for me to boomerang through the past and come back at the present, fresh-eyed. And cows, in particular, are a blast from my own past—as a farm girl.

We had cows, and cows like to test fences. Our fences weren't very good. Also, as I learned, a cow can jump a four foot fence like it is nothing if it takes a mind to do so.

It happened almost enough to be a routine: I would be sitting in some classroom in high school and the announcement would come over the loudspeaker. "Angie Garner, report to the principal's office". The other kids would hoot, figuring I had got in trouble, but I would just roll my eyes , grab my books and go.

Because what that loudspeaker announcement meant was that the cows got out and my mom was on the way to pick me up from school so I could come home and chase them. My mom did not chase cows. She is an artist.

Anyway, I think this particular ancient vase painting fragment caught my eye because the cows look so lively and bossy. They are all about doing whatever it is that cows do-- and as I know, cows have their own lives, notions and inscrutable ambitions.

So, by painting a study of an old vase painting of cows, then printing my study and using the print in a collage, I got to create this piece in the company of: the ancient Greek artist Euphronios, my teenage cow-chasing self, the artist I was that did the study last year, and my own self now.

Moo!