Yesterday I read that the actor and now published author David Duchovny has a new book out called Holy Cow. From what I've read it's a funny book about a cow and her farmyard friends who escape the farm and the adventures they have finding a better life.
Check it out!
It made me remember a time, specifically between the years of 1991-2000 when I made and sold a lot of folk art for a store in Vancouver, B.C. called Folkart Interiors. I painted literally hundreds of paintings, painted old furniture, made medicine cabinets, birdhouses, mailboxes etc... mostly themed with cows, chickens, pigs, sheep and various farm animals. It was ideal for me as a stay at home mom and provided a way to make an income while being with my kids. I was always a little embarrassed of my folk art as it wasn't fine art but there was a demand for it so I looked at it as more of a job where I could be a little creative. Later in life when folk art was a distance memory I visited the second floor of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia which is home to examples of extraordinary folk art from around the province and I suddenly felt pretty okay with the work I had done during those years. But perhaps I will write about that in a future post.
During my folk art making years I was also a massive X-Files fan and thought David Duchovny was the most handsome fella on t.v. One night my husband and I were sitting watching the newest episode of the X-Files called 'The Red Museum'. The episode involved a vegetarian cult of 'walk-ins' which I thought was funny as back then I was vegetarian as well. (I am vegan now.) There was a scene where Scully and Mulder were eating at a rib joint (filmed at a family restaurant in Ladner, B.C.). It was during that scene that I jumped up and said "Hey, that's my painting behind Mulder's head! Sure enough the film company had visited Folkart Interiors for 'cow props' and choose one of my paintings to be in the scene. It was a thrill and a kick indeed!
My big thrill!
The Red Museum episode trailer
Here's a tiny trip down memory lane with just a sprinkle of some of the cows I painted...
A very pregnant me working on folk art for one of three new Cactus Club Cafe restaurants that opened in Vancouver, Richmond and Edmonton.
Complete with weird spiral perm and mom-jeans but happily working away.
Packing up for delivery to a Cactus Club Café.
Painting outside, or with my kids, or at my neighbour's kitchen table was always a pleasure.
Holy Cow, I've painted a lot of cows!
I'm not really sure if painting all those farm animals back then really agrees with my feelings on eating animals now. Back then I painted happy farm animals living happy lives which is not the reality for most food animals. The majority of food animals live very short lives filled with incredible suffering in factory farms. I see that Mr. Duchovny is now a 'mostly' vegetarian. As for me I am happy when I hear of people thinking about where their food comes from and being conscious of what kind of lives the animals lived no matter if they are meat eaters or not. And lastly I look forward to picking up Holy Cow and having a good read!