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 Queen     Buttercup    

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

- Anatole France

As an artist who is deeply connected to nature and all of its inhabitants, I am often inspired by a particular animal. I saw Queen Buttercup's image on a dear friend's facebook post and was struck by her look of dignified contentedness. Having grown up on a farm with lots of cattle, I think they are beautiful individuals with their own personalities. I instantly wanted to paint her, and also having just seen a photo of a beautiful cup and saucer vine (cathedral bells) on my cousin's garden wall in Oxford, England, it seemed a perfect pairing. Curious about Queen Buttercup's story, I reached out to my friend who was lucky enough to be sharing her life with this beautiful animal. I knew then why she looked so content to me, and I felt that her story is one that needed to be shared.

My friends, who have a  small farm, responded to an offer of a cow. When they went to pick her up, they had no idea that she was in terrible condition. She had been kept in a barn stall by herself in mud up to her hips. They didn't know that she had an issue with her back leg until they got her back to the farm. She was pregnant with a calf and after she gave birth, the calf had many complications, having to be taken away from his mother and fed with a bottle until he was weaned. The veterinarian told them that the calf wouldn't make it, but with lots of love and care, he is alive today. At five months, Sweets (the calf's name) was finally able to be reunited with Queen Buttercup who could now bond with her baby. Buttercup’s leg, however, continued to get worse and despite multiple vet visits and many different treatments that failed to help, she got to the point where she couldn't stand up. She had to be humanely put to sleep. Queen Buttercup was able to enjoy two and a half years being cared for and loved after her rescue. She was able to have her baby and bond with him. She had barnyard friends and the love of good, kind people and their little boy. Although they wished she could have lived longer, they will forever benefit from the experience and the lessons they learned while caring for their first cow. 

With all the negative in our world today, sometimes it's important to bring to light the little acts of kindness and love that make living worthwhile.  I hope that everyone, no matter their lifestyle or circumstance, has the opportunity at some point in their life to love an animal and have that part of their soul awakened.

Living my artful life,

Pam

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