RAM II (Front)
1998
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… one of the Mile End boys …
The last studio was on Mile End Farm which supports some five hundred ewes. They are ‘attended’ to by only six or eight rams.
These fellas have a funny existence. For eleven months of the year they hang around the field looking bored. One might suggest a trip up to the top of the field ... or down ... maybe a game of three-a-side ... or not.
Then for three weeks or so they leap into frenzied life - almost maniacal in their attention to duty. These normally easygoing guys can become irascible and argumentative during this time. I imagine they get exhausted - they have a lot to do!
The other high point of their year is shearing time. Then the challenge is to flip over the shearer – before he flips you over. A lot of ingenuity goes into this sport, as well as an unexpected level of fitness!
It was at this point in the year I decided to take my etching plates into the compound, and draw these boys. I got the impression – fortunately - that they had weighed me up, and decided that I was not part of the main sport.
After some very close inspection – they left me to get on.
- Category:
- Portrait
- Fauna
Location: Indoor
Size: Small
Dimensions: Plate Size: 10.5cm x 13cm
Medium: Soft Ground Etching
Edition size: Edition of 25
Collection: Private & Artist's Collection
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