The Girly Cow
“We gave Kennan free rein to create a piece for our daughter’s nursery and we couldn’t be happier with what she imagined. Goodnight Moon was a staple bedtime story in both of our households, so the cow jumping over the moon touches both our hearts. Kennan picked bold and fun colors for the piece, which is perfect for the overall vibe we are trying to emulate (no sad beige!). The painting hangs above our rocking chair, where our daughter will get to enjoy it endlessly from our arms.”
- Emily
(prints available for sale)
As an artist, sometimes joyous moments spark an image in my imagination. The moment Chase and Emily announced they were having a baby girl, that spark of joy immediately left an impression of this image in my mind. I desperately had to paint “The Girly Cow” for my soon-to-be niece, so I did!
“The Girly Cow” was of course inspired by Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. The children’s story is one of my son’s favorites, so I wanted to share the joy my son gets from the book with his baby cousin. In a way, the painting is a gift from the two of us. I knew I wanted to reimagine the classic image with a feminine twist, but not just your classic pale pinks and bows. No, if my niece is anything like her mom and dad, she will be bold, vibrant, and graceful. This idea is where the color choice of this painting came from. The form clearly came straight from the story. In fact, I tried to keep the formation of the image as closely related to the original image as possible. But the colors—this is where I wanted to showcase Chase, Emily, and their daughter.
This painting is an 8”x10” acrylic painting on canvas board. The painting began with a bright red background covering the entire canvas so the colors laid on top would have more vibrancy. The magenta color of the cow is meant to symbolize modern feminity that lives vibrantly as opposed to the classic, muted pink. If you look closely, you’ll see the cow is outlined with a bright red and holds some strokes of that same bright red, symbolizing a feminine boldness that does not boast arrogantly but operates with an air of graceful confidence. I also love how the original form of the cow appears to be ballerina-esc and feminine, so I chose to outline the figure with that bright red to bring attention to the graceful jump. There is no black or gray in this image. Each stroke of lowlights and shadows is made with deep blues and greens in order to stay consistent with the message of vibrant boldness. The magenta used for the cow was brought down into the buildings to connect the entire image, as was the yellow and orange used in the moon connected with the hay. Lastly, I brightened the stars in this reimagined image of The Cow Jumping Over The Moon to symbolize wondrous innocence. My hope and prayer for my little niece is that she lives confidently and boldly, and dreams as brightly as the stars in the sky.
