"Clockwork orange Cow Eye" (2005) Painting by Denise Rich

Denise Rich, a San Diego native, is an artist who paints cows. It all started with a great-grandmother who colored with her for countless hours, to an oil-painting grandmother whose studio was a constant facination, and watercolor lessons from her father. At the age of 9 she was a founding member of the "Jr. Pet Patrol" a group at school that raised money for homeless animals. Combine her foundation of artistic expression with her ability to appreciate animals as individuals and it's no mystery that Denise is quickly becoming recognized as "one of the [dairy] industries biggest up and coming artists..." (Holstein Foundations's Art Auction catalog.) Each painting starts with a real live cow, first framed within the viewfinder of her digital camera and then translated in oil, in a style she calls "painterly realism" on either canvas or panel. Her specialty is capturing the character, personality, and posture of each cow in a way that everyone can truly appreciate, especially those who know them the best. Denise has studied with several internationally known art instructors in San Diego and most recently gained a sizeable following for her cow paintings. She receives commissions to paint them as well. Her art is included in a "Cowlendar" for 2006, introduced at the World Dairy Expo. Denise is a full time artist living in San Diego.

• Nationality: UNITED STATES
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains: Represented by a Gallery,
• Groups: Contemporary American Artists Artists presented by a gallery