UK-based artist Joanne Cope explores the use of depth of field, texture and tone to produce striking portraits of cattle and horses in oil on canvas.
December Exhibition
THE ARTIST
Joanne is a New Zealand born modern realist painter, living and painting in Bath, United Kingdom. Joanne is best known for her powerful, large scale oil paintings of cattle, and more recently her equine portraits.
In New Zealand, her extended family included an Aunt with a dry stock farm and an Uncle working for the Department of Conservation. As a result, Joanne spent a significant part of her youth immersed in rural environments and enjoyed participating in their hardworking farming lifestyles. She formed a strong connection with livestock during that time, and this continues to inspire her practice today.
She places her subjects within abstractions of their natural habitats, using dramatic lighting and depth of field to create striking, graphic compositions. Joanne creates images that are cinematic and contemporary, yet almost feel as if they are from a bygone era. Her use of a muted palette and soft brushwork accentuate this.
Most of her subjects are painted as close to life size as possible, to fully communicate the size, strength and raw power of the animals.
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