unforgettable faces
Tracey Clarke, a friend and very poignant artist in her own right (whose work we've featured previously), referred me a while back to the paintings of Sam Dolman. Sam is based in the UK, and loves to paint animals, especially farm animals and cows:
It was purely accidental that I stumbled across some cows whilst out photographing the [Peak District] landscape. It was also my first real encounter with these animals, hence I didn’t know whether to run away or offer them grass! I soon became very fond of cows and they became my most common subject. (from Sam's biography)
I was genuinley floored when I saw Sam's paintings. I've rarely seen such realistic and beautiful portrayals, and I don't know that I've ever seen the individual being and uniqueness of an animal like I do throughout Sam's work. The fact that he's chosen to focus on humble farm animals so often, and grant them such dignity and winsomeness in his craft, is beyond admirable.
What better way to encourage people to see these valued creatures of God as worthy of our attention and care, especially when they are so often reduced to a faceless number (among billions of others forgotten) in the factory farm system?
I'm very grateful to Sam for allowing us to share a few of his paintings (in order: "Temptation," "Little Madam" and "Shy Sandy"), and I hope very much you'll have an opportunity to check out the rest of his stunning profiles. I can safely venture to say you'll be glad you did. I also heartily recommend following Sam via his blog, Facebook or Twitter.
February 11, 2011
Reader Comments (7)
He really portrays these innocent animals with grace and lots of talent!
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing and for your article.
They are just beautiful!
I completely agree with you both, Jan and Karen, thank you very much for the warm response to Sam's work. It was a privilege to share it - Ben
I have tried to comment twice on this today and it won't show up, so here goes the third try! I love these photos....Ben, thank you again for always sharing your wonderful finds! The facial expressions are amazing. And, like I tried to say before, the pig IS Wilbur....is it any wonder Charlotte loved him? Thanks again Ben.
Had I not known they were paintings, I would have thought them to be photographs! How wonderful to come here, Ben, to rest my eyes upon these delightful images of God's creatures, rendered with such kindness, tenderness, even whimsy. I have just come from viewing the documentary "Our Daily Bread", which was devastating to watch as farms stock... cows, chicken, pigs and fish were so inhumanely raised, abused, neglected and butchered for consumption. Thank you Ben and to Sam Dolman for sharing his artwork with us!
Just wanted to say a quick thank you Ben for doing this feature on my work, and to your followers for the comments. Always a pleasure to see like minded people;o)
Shari, I'm sorry for all the hassle trying to leave a comment, that's strange. I really hope it doesn't happen again. Thanks for the feedback on Sam's paintings, and for the affirmation to keep posting things like this! Lee, thank you as well, I completely agree that Sam's artwork is a needed antidote for seeing farm animals in a different light, worthy of much more care than they often receive. And Sam, thank you for taking the time to leave a note as well, it really is a privilege to share your work - Ben