Cow with a Mournful Eye

Please click the pictures to enlarge.

When I was growing up, our home was near a slaughter house. When a working cow got old and could no longer work, the owner would take it to the slaughter house. These are "yellow cows". Or Huang Niu in Chinese. They mostly tow heavy loads of coal or other stuff. These cows are very intelligent. They know that they are being led to be slaughtered. I saw them mowing and crying. I believe I had seen their tear drops. It was hard to watch. That image has such a strong imprint in my brain.

I use my computer painting software to come up with these two drafts. I will paint them on canvases later. I think the first one may need a large canvas to get the psychological impacts. I may do a few more versions of these seemingly comical yet dark paintings.

Remember Joan Baez's song Donna, Donna, Donna...? It goes "There's a wagon bound for market, and a cow with a mournful eye..."