January’s Western Mini: Calf by Pond

These small watercolor paintings of a calf drinking from a pond are examples of this month’s ACEOs for my Western Mini Series. If you’re new here, ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions & Originals) are small, collectible original artworks. They’re intimate pieces meant to be held, looked at closely, and lived with not just scrolled past on a screen.

For this month’s series, I focused on a quiet western moments. Decembers ended the year with a cow skull at sunset so to kick off the new year a sweet scene of new life was just the thing. A calf stopping to drink, reflected back in the water below is the an absulute dream to capture in photography and had to be painted.

I love painting these ACEOs, there’s no room to overwork a piece. Every brushstroke matters. Color choices matter. Composition matters. I can’t hide behind detail or size. And I like that they make original artwork affordable to all people. These minis let me focus on mood, movement, and light. In this case, that meant warm browns and soft greens, loose reflections in the water, and letting the paint do what watercolor does best bleed, soften, and suggest.

Each ACEO in the Western Mini Series is an original. No reproductions. No duplicates. Even when I work from the same reference or theme, every piece ends up slightly different. That’s part of the appeal. You’re not buying a copy of something you’re getting a one of a kind painting that exists exactly as it is.

The Western Mini Series is something I plan to continue building over time. Some months will lean more rodeo focused, some more ranch or livestock based, and some may be something that I want to experiment with. ACEOs will remain part of that series, even as I introduce more small to medium sized originals in the shop.

I will occasionally paint a few extras at the beginning of a the month so I can get them out immediately for new subscribers but once they’re gone, they’re gone. If you see one that speaks to you, don’t wait too long these small pieces tend to find homes quickly. Any leftover at the end of the month are sold at art shows.

As always, thank you for supporting my work and for appreciating the quieter moments of the west right alongside the bigger bolder ones,

MERC