English Longhorns revisited

4/24/2013

The Herd

Today I revisited the home of the Welborne herd of English Longhorn cattle belonging to Lt Col and Mrs Hodges, delivering 'a well overdue' drawing to say thank you for their generosity in allowing me to sit in their fields for long hours at a time.

It was a moving and somewhat cathartic experience. It was some 10 years since I was last there, and amongst the lovely herd of 10, I think only one cow....Delia.... remained of those I had sat with, drawn and grew so fond of.

This new herd consists of sons and daughters of my old favourites who have appeared many times in my work over the years, dear Challenger the bull... teddy bear like, soft and gentle, my favourite model. Archie, the huge, sweet natured ox, Garbo, with amazing and instantly recognisable horns, Coco the beautiful young bull who had been vigilantly nursed back to health after breaking a horn, Delia with her small calf, and Lancelot the youngster who interfered constantly, ate my pencils, paints and tipped everything over.

It was so wonderful to be there again, amongst this primeval breed, whose energy is very different from the domesticated bulls that I grew up with. I feel close to nature, peaceful and untroubled when in their presence.....but for now, this marks a lull in my Bull era.

3 Comments

Hilary Hodges

4/26/2013 11:03:37 am

We loved seeing you and it's good for the cattle to have visitors!

Gloria

4/27/2013 04:41:08 am

Thank you so much Hilary for your comments, and for your email, of which I enclose a section, this puts the chronological order right and I am very grateful for that.

'We are so glad that others, besides ourselves, find the cattle a joy to be with.In fact many of the cattle you saw the other day were with us when you were drawing Challie - from A for Archie, one of the first two born, through to what should have been S this year, we can work out the ages very easily; so Duchess with the wide sweeping horns, big Ellie, pretty Greta, etc. would have been here but with much smaller horns! Dear old Garbo we did not breed so she didn't fit the pattern.
We love your drawing of Archie; we feel you have captured the primitive nature of the breed, and his size and presence as well as the gentleness.'

Kit R link

4/28/2013 08:06:43 am

Lovely to finally meet the herd that inspired so many of the amazing Bull studies I have seen. So kind of the Hodges to take the time to show them.

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