#623 Slaven Ranch #623
by William Lum
Title
#623 Slaven Ranch #623
Artist
William Lum
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
For the last 25+ years Slaven Ranch has hosted The Zamora Hills Sheepdog Trial. This year, Yolo Art & Ag artists were invited to visit during this annual competition. The ranch was purchased in the late 1800s by Bill Slaven’s grandfather who came over from Ireland. The family raised sheep, grew barley and bred border collies on the land which today still retains the feel of a farm not all that different from a century ago, with weather-worn fences, an old red barn, and vintage outbuildings and farm equipment. I saw these sheep in a penned area of Slaven Ranch after being herded in by a sheep dog.
Ever wonder why Sheep have rectangular shaped pupils. Sheep are grazing prey animals and need to be able to protect themselves from predators. A broad line of sight, aided by wide, rectangular-shaped pupils, allows them to see danger approaching from their peripheral vision. Sheep eyes also have a remarkable ability to “rotate in the head to maintain parallelism with the ground. And the eyeball is placed more to the side of the head, which gives them a wider field of vision.
This 12” X 16” watercolor was done on Winsor & Newton, 140 lb, cold press paper.
Uploaded
April 8th, 2022
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