Shropshire Ewe. 40cm X 30cm oil on canvas. Framed and white mount, total size 50cm X 40cm.
 
I have painted a Shropshire Ewe, it is a newish breed than became very popular in the 1840s after being crossed with white headed and a horned black headed sheep in Shropshire and Staffordshire. The meat is good as well as the wool, so the best of both worlds. It became very popular in America, Australia and new Zealand in the 19th century. 

This livestock oil paintings will feature in my upcoming art exhibition of paintings based on Shropshire, I really hope you can make it.

This is an homage to the livestock paintings of the Georgian era which were commissioned by landed gentry to show off their selective breeding programmes, 'improvement' was a high tech pastime and yield improved by 33% over the period through dubious feeding methods - oil cakes being a favourite pre slaughter fattener and selective breeding. The artists must have been encouraged or ordered to exaggerate the beasts, especially the areas that were considered to be the most desirable such as the shoulders and tackle for stud purposes, as other elements on the paintings are of a normal proportion. The paintings commissioner often appeared next to his fattened animal and the country mansion normally sneaked in an appearence too, such was the modesty of gentlemen - has anything changed?