A new and large Highland Cow Painting!
Big, tall and beautiful, this piece is 150cm high and 50cm wide. This big colourful cow is the ideal one for that tall space on the stairs, or in the hall!
The painting is a total splash of stormy, yet vibrant colour. I have used acrylics for the base painting layer and oil paint over the top to finesse the finish and add richness to the colours!
Highland Cows - Canvas Prints!
A Cow About the House!
Bring the cows inside this winter - I have a big selection of my colourful Highland Cows available as canvas prints.
Super versatile, amazing quality (these are posh prints) bright and cheerful, check them out here!
Painting a Colourful Highland Cow
Learning to Paint a Rainbow Highland Cow!
Today is my painting workshop at the gallery Creative Melbourne, in Melbourne Derbyshire. I set up the space yesterday afternoon so that all of the easels and canvases etc are ready to go when we all arrive this morning. We shall be making very vivid Highland Cow paintings I am sure, as Im taking 26 different colour tubes of paint including some sparkly pearlised paints. It will be a small group of six, today painting up in the mezzanine gallery, which is a lovely space to work in, above the art gallery itself which fills two floors below.
Spare Cake
I have baked two cakes for the occasion. Partially because I’m never sure my cake will rise! So I did a ‘spare’ and they both rose beautifully so now we have two. ‘Spare cake’ is surely one of the happiest phrases in the English language.
A Big Hairy Beast
We will be basing our painting loosely on this big colourific chap above, although each piece will be as unique as the artist who paints it. We typically have at least two or three total beginners in my workshops, which is always exciting. I haven’t met any of the artists joining me today, so I will find out about experience levels once everyone arrives. Some attendees are coming from a little farther afield today, so I hope everyone has had a nice journey to get here. I will post photos from the day’s activities later on.
Online and Offline - Art for Everyone
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Large Highland Cow painting just finished
Large Atmospheric Highland Cow Oil Painting
She’s just gorgeous. This is ‘Rannoch Moor’ and she measures 78 x 102 cm so rather a big girl. Reminiscent of the rugged, windswept beauty of the Scottish countryside. An oil painting on stretched canvas, this piece is gallery wrapped ready to hang unframed
If you would like a closer look at this piece, please click through to her listing, here on my website.
Rannoch Moor is suitable for international shipping if required. Please contact me for an up to date shipping quotation to your overseas location.
A Big Red Highland Cow Painting - Hot Colours!
Big Bold and Bright - New Large Cow Paintings
I can always tell when the nights are beginning to draw in by the colours that find their way back into my paintings! Here I am revelling in the bright reds again with touches of orange and lemon yellow.
This big Highland Cow oil painting is very nearly finished and will soon be available for sale (with her sister below,) on my website
A new look for this lady
Highland cow in a summer meadow
Highland cow in a summer meadow
I am re-working this painting as I wanted to add a lot more interest into her surroundings and a summery feel to the piece.
These soft blended oil paint effects look almost like watercolour and Im excited to see how she will turn out!
Two Colourful Cows - Cheeky-faced and boisterous!
These two have been in the works for a long time. They were painted at my old studio and moved into storage when i took this new studio at the Ferrers Centre. I have only just had time to get them out and have a look. I decided they werent finished after all, and I have addedd some more layers of brighter colour and changed their background. Now they are finally ready to greet the world with their high spirits!
This piece is an original oil pn a stretched canvas, ready to hang. The painting is available for worldwide shipping (with a couple of restricted countries). Find out more here
Ben Nevis: A new and fanciful Highland Cow painting!
A New Oil Painting: Colourful Escapism
This piece is a flight of fancy. Ive used all of the colours of the rainbow! Layer upon layer of textured colour creates a stunning, joyful piece to enliven any space.
An original oil painting, I have titled this one ‘Ben Nevis’.
Ben Nevis is available for sale here
New Highland Cow Paintings with an Autumn Colour Palette
Warm shades of copper, gold and soft green
It’s a very busy time n the studio this month as we all have a full schedule of exhibitions over the Autumn and Winter to prepare for.. This new piece measures around 60 x 90 cm and is a flurry of colours and shapes, in soft seasonal tones. I love to be inspired by the tangle of hedgerow foliage this time of year, and it shows up in my paintings.
Once dry, this piece will be available to purchase on my website, or from my studio by appointment.
Paint a Highland Cow - Half Day Course
Paint your own cow!
** 2025 Workshop dates are LIVE! Book here https://suegardnerstudio.com/workshops/
My Colourful Rainbow Highland Cow Workshops are always popular, and I have been asked to hold a half day session at Sharpes Pottery Museum in November. This will be a step-by-step painting workshop, on how to create a colourful highland cow from start to finish! Don’t worry if you have never painted since school, beginners and more experienced artists are all very welcome / I simplify the process, breaking it down into fun steps. You can have a pre-drawn canvas too, to allow you to relax and focus on your colour choices.
A very big commission
As you can see below, my most recently completed bespoke painting was an enormous painting of a Highland Cow, in lovely warm, Autumn colours. The owenrs were inspired by another of my pieces, from a year or two back, named Islay. They wanted a similar piece, but a lot bigger and with even more orangey tones. Of course no two cow pictures are ever really the same, but the inspiration piece was there in the back of my mind as I was painting. The project took around 6 weeks to complete, as there were four or five layers of paint to build up, and each needed time to dry in between. Its a slow priocess but the final results make up for it - the textures and colours interplay and beautify the surface of the canvas. Close-up, the painting is a tangle of brush strokes and textured paint, when you step back the cow emerges.
If you would like to discuss your own next commissioned piece, dont hesitate to get in touch. I am open to requests until the end of September. hello@suegardnerstudio.com
Safe Arrival!
Hi Sue,
I just wanted to let you know that the painting arrived safely.. She looks absolutely stunning on the wall and we are so pleased with the final product. Thank you so much!! I'm sure we will be commissioning another piece in the future.
All the best,
Bonnie
Lighting Effects
Blondie - New Highland Cow Painting
Im exploring lighting effects in my paintings, and have four pieces currently taking turns now that I have completed my commissions for the time being.
The recent bespoke painting of Molly the Black Labrador reminded me of how much I used to like painting the light effects on the fur, wool and feathers of my subjects and has led me to return to this approach for a while and see where it leads me.
A handsome new Highland Cow painting
Ross - a handsome Highlander!
He’s a real colourful character, with a face full of fun. There is a lot of texture and intuitive use of colour in this striking piece. 61 x 91 original oil painting on canvas, ready to hang.
Paintings of the Famous Highland Cow
Now available - at Creative Fine Art
I have three new paintings of the famous Highland Cow, which are available to reserve through my publisher Creative Fine Art
These are all original oil paintings on canvas and will be presented in a simple float frame.
Here they are with some of the tweeds and tartans that help inspire my colour choices!
A Big Highland Cow Painting with a Contemporary Twist!
The new addition to my website this week is Loch Torridon, featuring a Highland Cow against a dramatic colourific background. This piece is the latest triptych piece - painted over three canvases that are designed to hang together with a small gap in between the panels. I decided to name her for a place that gets the most wonderful sunsets, a tribute to the beautiful bright glowing peachy colours.
I love the look of these pieces on three panels, I think it’s a gorgeous and modern look, in keeping with the luxurious use of colour. Have a closer look here
Highland cow Painting with Flowers
This new Highland cow painting with flowers has been on and off my easel for several weeks. She is finally finished - there are a lot of colourful layers in this piece and some quite textured areas. I have named her Dunbar, for that interesting and artistic town, and she is now for sale on my website here.
Highland Cow with Flowers
This new Highland cow painting with flowers has been on and off my easel for several weeks. She is finally finished - there are a lot of colourful layers in this piece and some quite textured areas. I have named her Dunbar, for that interesting and artistic town, and she is now for sale on my website here.
Colourful and fun new Highland cow art sold last week
Bright new piece ‘Our Cow Molly’
Straight off the easel, this very colourful new Highland Cow art piece was purchased last week by a lovely couple who were visiting the Midlands from Devon. So this little lady is heading to the sunny south as soon as she is dry enough to go.
I am available for bespoke oil painting commissions, so if you would like your own happy cow painting in lovely colours, get in touch and we can discuss a painting.
New cow painting for sale
Beautiful new cow painting for sale - textured painting in glowing colours is now available.
My latest cow painting for sale is Talisker, in rich glowing shades of chocolate, gold and warm orangey-reds. I painted this big guy using thickly applied paint over thinner underlayers, creating a lot of texture and movement, The layered colours absolutely glow! This is one of the many beautiful things about oil painting, you can glaze on top on under layers and create dazzling effects. Because of the thickness of the paint, and the type of colour used, this piece is taking weeks to dry!
Update: this piece is now available from Creative Fine Art, Marlborough.
Of course, I named him Talisker because of his beautiful whisky colours!
Colourful Highland Cow Paintings
multi-coloured brush strokes
I have been working on a set of four new originals, which are now available for sale. These are textured pieces with brush and knife work and in very rich bright and beautiful colours. These pieces will be ready to ship soon, Benavie is now on my website. There are three larger pieces at 80 x 100 cm approx / 30 x 40 “ , and one square format canvas at 76 x 76 cm approx / 30 x 30 “
