"Cows, Etc." is the artist's exploration in pastel, through 100 miniature bovine portraits, and other animals. Follow the beginning of this charming series reproduced here, in the first volume, in full color images The artist/author Rita Kirkman's famous cow series started with a few good sales and quickly evolved into an addiction Kirkman's new fascination with the daily painting movement, combined with her propensity for portraiture as a genre, created the direction of this new series of miniature bovine 'portraits'. When these small paintings, relatively affordable in the fine art market, continued to "fly off the walls" at galleries, art fairs and online venues, Kirkman recognized her stroke of luck, and was also pleasantly amazed to realize that she was not yet getting bored of painting cows "OK, these are not quite 'daily' paintings," says Kirkman, "as it's taken almost 2 and a half years to reach 100. Filling the in-between time with my usual wide range of artistic endeavors helps keep me sane. And as this series developed, it became more about light, color, and expression, and less about subject matter. That kind of fascination helps keep each painting fresh " This book is for anyone with a love of animals, a passion for art, or an appreciation for what's current and original in the art world.