Description
11 x 14 oil on stretched canvas of a sow, in the process of digging up truffles in France. She has funny tatttoed-on looking eyebrows in dark brown, a “comb-over” hairdo, and funny curled up lips in to a satisfied smile. She has remnants of the dirt and muck on her mouth from digging. She is set in a rural landscape of trees and grasses and rocks. Impressionistic style, loosely painted and realistic. She has a rusty colored frame to compliment the painting tones. In studying for this painting, it will ALWAYS be a sow, NEVER A BOAR—that digs up truffles. It is because truffles, the good ones from France, are buried three feet down under the ground and it takes an animal with a fantastic sense of smell, which pigs have. Plus, truffles have a very musky, fruity odor that have the same enzyme that is found in the testes of a male boar! So, the sow is actively seeking the truffle for that reason. It is very difficult at times, to get them away from the sows after they’ve been dug up because they are so tasty and she really wants them! The farmer often has to chase her with a stick to get her to give them up. The same chemical or hormone is found in parsnips and celery. I thought it was important to know, before I painted on her teats that it be a sow digging up the tasty treats we all adore in gourmet dining!
