Before and After - On the Ranch

Deer Hollow Ranch, 18x24, oil on canvas redo

On the Ranch, original from 1997

This is most embarrassing. A painting from 15 years ago or so of my son as a teenager running one of the old Ford tractors on his grandfather's property. The top photo is my attempt to save this painting. I am not convinced it is "finished" but I am done for now. There is something "missing" that I just can't put my finger on right now. The property is in northern California and just sold. It is so much a part of both my offspring's youth I feel compelled to get it right.

It should be an overcast day with rather flat light, which is not in evidence in the original painting. I still have the 4x6 overexposed photograph to work from. The billy goat is one four of my father-in-laws pet goats at the time. There is a goat dairy not far from here and as male goats are 50/50 of births, they are sold for meat. Hence a few were saved from that fate. The goats followed him around the property for years like faithful dogs, even going so far as to protect him from his grandchildren. I think almost all of the grandchildren got butted at least once. The billy goats all met untimely deaths, mostly due to mountain lions. There were also sheep in residence at that time and their numbers were also decimated by the mountain lions.

And so another chapter closes...