These paintings signify the end and the beginning.

They feature the sacred cow.

My great, great grandfather by marriage was Sir Sidney Kidman - The Cattle King, once the largest land holder in Australia. He ran cattle across the abundant land, they desecrated the pristine environment, leaving it barren, primed for noxious weeds.

For the last 20 years I have owned three cows. They are beautiful beasts, much like dogs, but with a more gracious and calming presence. They are vegetarians, which is ironic, as they are generally slaughtered for their meat.

These are paintings of our remaining cow, the other two have been buried on the land where they lived. Since the other two have passed I have been removing the fences and planting native trees where they once roamed.

My hope is that when I’m long gone these trees will provide habitat for birds, insects and other native fauna, and the land will be returned to something like it once was before the cow.

– Andrew Kidman

2023