Sheep Asleep on Bandsaw
July 2006, 51x41cm, Acrylic on canvas
While I was on holiday in Crete, the view from our apartment was of a field of scrub land populated by a number of scrawny-looking sheep. At the edge of this field was a workshop of sorts, surrounded by various piles of wood, old chairs, fencing and so on. In the heat of the day, the sheep would wander under the corrugated iron of the workshop to find shade. One in particular clambered onto a bandsaw and cuddled up to the blade.
I found this image fascinating, for reasons I still cannot quite determine. I loved the abandonment and decay of the workshop area, and the peculiarity of seeing a sheep lying casually on a piece of potentially dangerous machinery. I imagine going back years from now, to see everything just the same. Maybe a sheep will glance lazily at me and think, "Oh, you again."