Oil Paintings by Deborah Bertola

Sheep are very difficult to paint - not sure why. Perhaps because the contours of their bodies are hard to distinguish beneath their woolly selves. You will notice though that all sheep do not look (or act, as it turns out) the same.

I photographed this Navajo Churro Sheep at Rancho de la Gallinas (Swallows) in New Mexico. I had heard that there were Churro sheep living there and was anxious to see them. When I arrived about 20 animals were together in a pen ready to be fed. They were quite wild. It was hard to get any good shots as they ran from me. These creatures are very beautiful. The colors are exquisite and the long locks of hair begged to be touched. Churro Sheep were the sheep of the Anastazi people. There are many organizations now who breed them, so fortunately it seems they may be around for a few 1000 more years.