‘Mighty Lil’

This is a painting of my cow, Lil. Her full name was ‘Lilibet’, but that’s a lot to say when you need her to come to the barn. In the background you can see Helen, Lil’s granddaughter.

Lil was my first cow. I bought her from a local dairy farm when she was a week old. That meant bottle feeding and that sort of thing really cements your relationship with any animal. The dairy didn’t want her as part of the herd because she had a defect in her right eye—it wandered, giving her an other worldly sort of look. Genetics are everything to dairy farmers.

Lil lived to the ripe old age of 21 and had a long and interesting life. I miss her every day.

Painted: 2025,2026. Oil on board.

Dimensions: 27.75”w x 1”d x 33.75”h

Price upon request